Pursuing Dreams
by Phantom Shyraz
Summary: -AU- As the fabric of space changes, humans evolved & mutated. No longer restricted to their home--Earth--they can now explore and travel in space. This meant new problems are created. One family sends hope back to Earth...but at what cost? Reviews pls.
1. Departure

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: characters not mine, original story not mine. Do you think I'll be doing this if it were? The main plot is kind of mine, though kudos to Obsidian-Butterflies (Tennis Trek: First Generation) and purple jellybean hoarder (CounterSpin) as inspiration.

Reviews most welcomed!

Author: Phantom Shyraz

01: Departure

"_Remember Ryoma__, no one is to know about the mission details. There will be a selected few who already knew who would be there at the place. But unless there are indications that they know, you are not to reveal it. Do you understand?"_

"_Right, oyaji. You've been saying that ever since the start of the week. It's hard for me to forget." Ryoma sighed in frustration. He knew his father was only looking out for him. His baka oyaji would only use his name when he was serious and that was what clued him into the situation._

"_You better get going before the patrol comes back around. Remember to give this to the Baba." Nanjirou handed his son a memory device in the style of a ballpoint pen. "It holds the detail to the safety of the universe."_

"_I never saw you this worried when Aniki left." Ryoma murmured, pocketing the device in his jacket. "I wouldn't have to go if the security hadn't stepped up here."_

There was a sudden beep coming from his earpiece, waking Ryoma up in the process. The screen blinked twice, removing the Himalayan kitten screensaver.

"Master Ryoma." The female AI onboard the fighter craft said. "We're nearing our destination.

"Thanks Karupin." Ryoma rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and concentrated more on the display panels. Travelling through deep space is normally interesting, seeing the galaxies and stars blinking in the deep dark. But his journey was not one of ease. When he set off from the colony, Ryoma was met with resistance, causing him to fight his way out. The fight had tired him to the point when he had to sleep to replenish his energy. "Can you send signal to Ryuusaki Sumire and ask for docking coordinates to Seishun Academy?"

"Of course Master." There was a small beep as Ryoma thought back to the information given to him by his oyaji about Seishun Academy.

"_Listen up seishonen, I'm only telling you this once." Nanjirou said as they shared the meal. "You're to go back to Earth's Seishun Academy."_

"_Why would I want to go there?" Ryoma sipped the grape flavoured Ponta and stared out the window, ignoring the frustrated looks his oyaji._

"_Because I told you to!" Nanjirou knew Ryoma wouldn't cooperate unless he heard the full details. "It's been a while since I could make the report...not that I wanted to in the first place. Also, it's high time you checked yourself into one of Earth's satellite Academies."_

"_What's so special about it? It's not as though it'll teach me anything I didn't know already."_

"_Seishun Academy is where I was taught and where I will send you to! I've already told the person in charge of the Seigaku crew. The Baba would be more than happy to put you in along with the freshman."_

"_The Academy is just education facility to learn about universe development and piloting. That'll just be a waste of my time." Ryoma was determined not to leave for some beginner course._

"_Seishonen, didn't you hear a word I just said? You need to check yourself in as one of Earth's forces. Else they can shoot you down when you encounter them next time. Don't forget, you're a New Human, one born in space and had been affected by it—an evolved version if you will. You might not look like the Aliens—the mutate humans—but those born on Earth would definitely find you abnormal because of your looks and can easily classify you as an Alien and kill you on sight."_

"_Right, right." Ryoma sighed, with slight regret being born with enhanced senses and reflex but at the cost of not looking as human as those born on Earth. He knew on Earth it was impossible for people to be born with golden eyes and green-hued hair. These 'defects' were a result of evolution. Unlike their other counterparts, the Aliens, which had their genes mutated because of radiation from space._

"_Once you get there. Contact a person called Ryuusaki Sumire. She'll put you onto the Seigaku fleet for sure. After that, it'll be easier for me to communicate with the Earth forces."_

"_What does the fleet do? Apart from being a mobile training ground for pilot wannabes." Ryoma was now interested. Not all Academies have their own fleet._

"_The fleet is not for training. It's for patrolling the area around Earth. Seishun Academy is one of three satellites stationed around Earth. The others are Hyotei and Rikkai. Both have their own fleets but I'm more inclined to send you to Seishun seeing I graduated from there."_

"_Why not send Aniki instead?" Ryoma knew it was not wise to send his brother. But he had been unwilling to leave their temporary home, away from the oyaji because he had to beat his idiot of a father in both the game called tennis and as a pilot._

"_With what happened to Nanako and your mother. He's quite unstable, even if he does the missions I give him. It's best if I can keep an eye on Ryoga. Seishonen, you on the other hand, is stable. Though your skills are still mada mada dane."_

"_I swear, oyaji, I'll beat you."_

"Master Ryoma? The signal went through and a reply just came." Karupin snapped Ryoma out of his reverie once more.

"Set course for the coordinates." Ryoma commanded, although it was not necessary. But the AI Karupin had only just recently been developed and was still in the process of learning. He'd rather not take the chances just yet to have the AI function on its own. "What's the ETA?"

"An hour at most."


	2. Arrival

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Reviews most welcomed!

Author: Phantom Shyraz

02: Arrival

"Ryoma!" Ryusaki Sumire called out from the metal walkway leading up to the docking area of Ryoma's fighter craft. Dressed smartly in her suited uniform of navy blue with matching dark boots that clinked as she walked on the metal plank. She was exuded the air of authority with a tinge of mischief. Ryoma made a mental note never to anger her. "It's good that you made it here in one piece. With the amount of confrontations near the colonies, travelling had been difficult."

"Not really." Ryoma replied without thinking. His eyes widen slightly, fearing he may have been too impolite. But Ryusaki Sumire just smiled as she had accepted it as Ryoma's character.

"How's your father now?" She asked as she escorted him to his temporary dormitory. "Still lazing around like usual?"

"That baka oyaji never does anything but site around and read those magazines of his. Leaving his son to do all the work." Ryoma answered, not minding the small talk one bit. It was a nice change from conversing with the AI.

"Should have guessed." She laughed, able to visualize the scene. "Well, you won't be able to meet the Seigaku team yet, they're due back in three days. In the mean time, feel free to familiarize yourself with Seishun Academy. I've arranged your temporary dorm to be close to where you've docked."

The pair took the metallic elevator up one floor to the room. One the way, Ryoma noticed there were very few people walking about the Academy. Given that it was a place of education, he figured they must be in class. When he voiced his question, he was told that the program had yet to begin and students are on holiday. There were very few left within the Academy, only those who worked full time and those who are scheduled to go on the Seigaku .

"Here's your room. You can change the pass-code if you want. There's an adjoining bathroom and the cafeteria is down the hall. There are also training quarters, which is on the floor above us." She gestured Ryoma to enter the room. Its decoration suggests that this room was intended to house travelling guests. "You're probably tired by now. I'll debrief you tomorrow, drop by my office at around noon. You should find there's a map on the terminals." She waved goodbye and left Ryoma to settle in.

Once the doors closed, Ryoma took the time to survey the room. There was a well-made bed to one side and on the other, a desk with a monitor set up, which he supposed to be the computer terminal. Another door led towards a plain tiled, fully equipped bathroom. Ignoring his hunger, for he was still tired from his trip, he took hi jacket off and flopped onto the bed and drifted off to a deep slumber. Under other circumstances, he would have settled for a light sleep. But with his oyaji repeatedly stating Seishun Academy is safe, Ryoma decided to trust him this once and let his guard down. As such, he did not hear the ruckus caused by the freshmen rushing to the cafeteria.

He woke up to a grumbling stomach a few hours after. The lights have all been automatically turned off by the main system to conserve energy, and the air conditioning was just a bit too cold. Yawning and stretching, Ryoma reached for his dark jacket he left in a lump, hanging off the monitor. He was a bit more refreshed after washing his face in the bathroom, wiping away all traces of sleep. He ventured out of the rooms, heading in the direction of the cafeteria and hoped that there was some food left in the kitchens.

There was near to no concept of time in space, when the view outside the window is eternally dark and the interiors are always lit with artificial lights. The only indication that it was nighttime was from the intensity of the lights. Ryoma made very little sound as he walked through the clean hallways. It seems that those left within the confines have returned to their rooms, which did not bother Ryoma one bit as he preferred to still out of sight for a little while longer.

The cafeteria was lined with rows of tables and benches, to cater for the large number of students. Near the doorway were a few drinks machine, which Ryoma instantly gravitated to. He noted there was a place for coins and another for cards. Inserting a few coins, he picked his drink and waited for the distinctive _clink_. He needed sugar in his system before searching around for food. The lights were very dim inside the interior, but it did not deter him one bit for his eyes were adjusted to little lighting. Farthest from the hallway was the opening to the window, where he supposed people place and receive their orders. As it was late at night, the kitchen was not staffed. Trying his luck, Ryoma went to the doorway, which he assumed to lead to the kitchens. Finding it open at the touch, he walked into the normally forbidden area and searched for food.

There were very little that the kitchen could offer. Much of the food required some sort of cooking. But Ryoma did manage to scavenge some biscuit and bread, not his favourite but it will have to do for now. Maybe, if he was less hungry, he could have gone for the ready-made meals stored in the freezer and reheated it in the microwave.

Finishing his unsatisfying meal, he brushed the crumbs off his hands and left with the grape Ponta. He had left his rug sack in the cockpit of his fighter craft, along with all his necessities. Seeing as how he would be staying here for the next few days, the rug sack would be useful.

He carefully retraced the steps to the metallic elevator and waited patiently. Years of living with his oyaji had honed his skills in tolerance and patience, seeing as how his idiot of a father could make long-winded speeches about nothing in particular but still has a point. Ryoma made a mental note to check whether his oyaji had send any more word through and to update his report. After all, he was supposed to become part of the Earth's protective force, part of Seishun Academy. With it, he supposed, would include his report on the trip. Ryuusaki-sensei acted as though Ryoma had been in the Academy since the start and treated him no different, which Ryoma had not been expecting.

'Great.' Ryoma swore inwardly as he realized the docks were locked and without the pass-code or access card, it would be difficult. He sighed, realizing that his luck could only hold on for so long. Reaching the inner pockets of his jacket, he took out a small PDA and connected it to the access panel. A few well placed key clicks, he was inside the system and unlocked the sliding doors. He made another mental note to ask Ryuusaki-sensei for access.


	3. Exploration

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Reviews most welcomed!

Author: Phantom Shyraz

03: Exploration

"Good morning Ryoma. How was your night?" Ryuusaki-sensei greeted as soon as Ryoma entered her office.

He shrugged, knowing that she wasn't expecting him to answer. It was just a customary greeting. He handed the two ballpoint-pen-like devices to her, which she examined then placed aside to read later. She mentioned that Ryoma had to go to the infirmary for a customary check-up and to gather the necessary personal information. She also took out a stack of forms for him to fill out, which elicited a soft groan from Ryoma.

"The Seigaku is going to arrive earlier than I had predicted." She paused, waiting for some reaction from Ryoma. Seeing no reaction whatsoever, she continued. "I suspect you have the required uniforms?"

Ryoma nodded, his oyaji had practically ordered him to bring his whole wardrobe, which consisted of nearly twenty sets of different uniforms worn throughout the universe, several changes of the Seigaku uniform, and some casual and training clothing. At the last minute, his oyaji had handed him a mysterious package, still unopened and left within the confines of the small storage closet in his fighter craft.

"They'll arrive tomorrow late afternoon. Though the freshman crew won't board until the end of the week, I'd like to introduce you to the regulars first. The Seigaku won't leave the Academy for another week afterwards, seeing as it's about time to hold the competitions. It should give you all enough time to familiarize yourself with one another."

Though Ryoma was curious about the competitions Ryusaki-sensei mentioned, he did not voice it out loud. He felt that when the time comes, he'll be able to find some information. Until then, he will just keep his ears open. Ryusaki Sumire, on the other hand, had thought Nanjirou had told his son already and left it at that.

"I'll came find you once I know they've docked."

Ryoma briefly wondered how she would find him tomorrow. There was a hidden order for him to be in uniform and not the polo shirt and slacks he is wearing right now. Grabbing the forms from desk in front of him, he left the room.

His first stop was the infirmary. Though Ryoma disliked the smell of disinfectant and the overly white room that is often associated with death and cleanliness, he knew it was necessary to have the doctors him check up. Like all infirmary, this one was furnished with metallic beds, white curtain dividers and several desks with matching chairs. There were no patients but a few nurses and an on duty doctor. Kind greetings were exchanged and an hour of procedures later, Ryoma was relieved to step out of the room with perfect health. Though there was a comment from the doctor that suggests he should lay off the sugary drinks for a while, which Ryoma pointedly decided to have selective hearing at that point (i.e. ignoring the suggestion all together).

He spent a few hours filling out the forms inside his temporary room, effectively giving him a tired wrist and blurry vision. Apparently, a hardcopy of the reports, which he handed to Ryusaki-sensei earlier, was required. The few gruelling hours made Ryoma realize how much he hated working. Once the final forms were filled, Ryoma stretched then walked to the cafeteria for dinner. This time, he was early and the cafeteria was empty when he entered. The kitchen staffs were curious at the new face but said nothing, politely taking his order of the meal (rice, miso soup, teriyaki and green tea).

When his food were finished, he returned his tray and walked out. Only to see a few freshman walking into the cafeteria, one of which seems to have a loud voice. Ryoma tuned out their conversation, hearing nothing of importance after the first five seconds, and walked further towards the Docks. He had initially wanted to grab some snacks, as he would be working on his fighter craft tonight, but he remembered seeing a snacks vending machine down the hallway during his morning exploration.

Upgrades and maintenance were required and he would trust no one to do it. He had built and designed his craft a few years ago. It was his pride and joy, even if most of the equipment are piece parts from abandoned fighter crafts. The fighter craft takes on technology from both the Earth Forces and Alien Technologies.

The body is made from an old, abandoned Earth Force craft. Painted in platinum white, the craft was designed for stealth and mobility. It was also transformable. Now, docked within the Seishun Academy, it is in the form of a jet. Ryoma could change it into a semi-humanoid form, complete with legs and arms, when required. A thin line to one side of the craft marked the entrance to the cockpit.

The external shell is quite deceiving as the cockpit is quite spacious. In the center stood the pilot chair. It is a high back metallic structure with two arms extending outwards. On the end of the arms were two red spheres, which acts as controls for the craft. Attached to the spine of the pilot chair is a small circular seat, which is definitely not designed for sitting, rather it acts as support. In front of the chairs are the screens, now dark, which displays a panoramic view of the environment. Towards the back is the storage facilities, one of which currently houses the multiple sets of uniforms and the mysterious box given to him by his oyaji. The other holds a toolbox, his weapons, the rug sack and laptop. The doors to the storage is concealed, with only a small crevice that acts as a handle.

"Karupin" Ryoma commanded as he stepped into the threshold of the cockpit. The screens in front blinked into existence as Ryoma searched the back storage for his laptop. He immediately plugged the laptop to the docking system below the screens. A Himalayan cat bounced onto the screen and looked intently at Ryoma.

"Good evening Master Ryoma." The female AI voice echoed in the silent cockpit. There was a smile on the Himalayan cat's face.

"I need you to run a check on the system first before I make any changes to the programming." He then went to collect his toolbox as he figured he would need to access and replace some of the wiring. During his journey to Seishun Academy, he had been hit quite a few times, which had caused damage to the bodywork. He suspected one of the hit manage to fry some of the wiring closer to the external shell. Strolling out of the cockpit, Ryoma went to examine the body, unscrewing dented panels to check the inside. Occasionally, he had to change a short section of the wire but otherwise, the craft seemed fine.

The Himalayan cat on the screen no longer sat idle. Instead, it walked back and forth across the screen, stopping ever now and then to scratch the surface. Once finished, it settled down at the central screen, waiting patiently for Ryoma to enter another command.

"What are you doing here?" There was a loud voice coming from the entrance to the docks. Ryoma peered around the craft to see the three he had passed on his way out of the cafeteria. "No one is supposed to be in this section of the docks!"

Ryoma winced at the loud voice. Silently questioning why these three, who seemed to be freshmen, are inside the docks at this hour.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you." One apologised softly in an embarrassed manner, then turned to the loud mouth and started to chastise him. "Horio! It's obvious that he's got permission. I mean he could be a senior for all we know!"

"What?! With his stature?" Horio sounded genuinely surprised as he look at Ryoma up and down, sizing him up. "He's probably a freshman like us! So why are you working on senpai's ship at this hour? Did you really have permission or are you a spy on Seishun Academy?"

"Horio..." both his companions whined, half dragging Horio out of the now enraged Ryoma's reach. Hoorio's first comment about his height had left him seethed, but he put that aside. Then he managed to underestimate him, that he could ignore as well. But he could not ignore being accused of doing harm and being something that he clearly is not.

"We apologised for him...um...if you won't mind...um...can you tell us how to get back to the elevators?" Hesitation and fear was clear in the voice. Ryoma sighed again, internally, and pointed to the entrance.

"Go straight. Second left, then a right." Ryoma then turned his back on them, clearly ignoring the freshman trio and focusing more on his work.

"Um...Thanks." there was a bright smile, which Ryoma did not see. "I'm Kachiro. That's Katsuro and he's Horio."

"I have 2 years piloting experience. Why don't I give you a hand?" Horio offered but was met with silence.

"Come on Horio! We're probably in enough trouble as it is..."


	4. First Meeting

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Reviews most welcomed! (A/N. would you like the story with or without pairings? If so, which would you prefer?)

Author: Phantom Shyraz

04: First Meeting

"Nya! Home at last!" Kikumaru Eiji jumped out of the hatch and landed gracefully on the walkway. He waited, not so patiently, for the rest of the Seigaku Regular Crew to exit their home for the past three months.

"Oh, I haven't had burgers in such a long time!" Momoshiro exclaimed, the second passenger off the ship.

"But didn't we have it last week when Taka-san made them?" Oishi managed to stop the sprinting pair in their steps.

"I'm not saying that Taka-san's food isn't great, but I needed burgers that are on a bun, with fries and coke and sides." Momoshiro loved food and Taka-san, whilst he is good at Japanese cuisine, is not that well versed in western food. His creation was hamburger—the patty kind—and not the burgers Momoshiro are currently craving for.

"Saa, Oishi, leave them be." Fuji placed a hand to stop Oishi from throttling Momoshiro. "It was a longer trip than usual and we deserve a break."

"Wait a moment." The authoritative voice echoed in the cavernous space. Stood on top of the walkway as Tezuka, dressed impeccably as always. There was not a single crinkle on his dark blue uniform jacket or his slacks. His shoes were polished to a shine and his stripes were in the right place showing off his rank and position. "Ryusaki-sensei said she'd like to see us as soon as we docked." Tezuka's voices said it in a tone that suggests it to be an order than one of a request. This stopped Momoshiro in his tracks, standing dejectedly at the base of the walkway.

"Ryusaki-sensei said that?" Oishi thought for a moment, wondering if it was because there was someone related to them that got hurt. "It's quite odd for her to see us the instant we arrive." His face obviously had shown some signs worry, to which Kikumaru bounced to his partner's side and gave him a smile. Oishi's heart felt warm at the gesture and he smile back just as warmly.

"The briefings are normally on the next morning we arrive so it couldn't be that." Inui flipped out his trusty notebook as the group proceeded to Ryusaki-sensei's office. "There's a seventy-two percent chance of one of the Academy requesting a practice opponent. Twenty-two percent to do with special orders or missions from the higher up. Five percent of someone being transferred."

"Um...Inui-senpai. The percentages doesn't add up." Momoshiro was brave enough to ask. He was afraid that pointing out the flaw in the data-man's calculations might earn him the newly-developed-special-deluxe-Inui-elixir.

"As there is insufficient data, the remaining one percent is unknown." There was a glint from Inui's glasses, which sent shivers up everyone's spine except for their fearless leader, Tezuka Kunimitsu, and the only person to be immune to Inui's creation to date, Fuji Shuusuke.

Ryusaki Sumire just finished paging Ryoma to come to her office when she heard the buzzer sound. Without a second thought, she let the Seigaku regulars into the office. As expected of her captain, Tezuka was immaculate in his presentation. Most of the more senior members of the crew were dressed in their full uniform consisting of the jacket, slacks, neck scarf and black polished shoes. The two newer additions, Momoshiro Takeshi and Kaidou Kaora, who joined just last year and a year after Tezuka took over the duties of Seigaku, were dressed in a slightly sloppier manner, with their shirt button undone at the top and the scarf hanging loosely around their neck. Kaidou also had added his personal touch in the dress code by tying his hair in his trademark bandanna.

"Sorry for having to call you here straight after you've docked, "She started, noticing the tired look from some of the member's face, "but there is someone I'd wanted you to meet."

"Where is he?" Momoshiro blurted out without much thinking, earning him a look from both Tezuka and Oishi. He quickly shut up, knowing that he just spoke out of line and would most likely earn himself another set of laps around the docks afterwards (both Kaidou and himself had been arguing on the way to the office and Tezuka had ordered 30 laps).

"He's new and he would be joining the Seigaku when you next leave in two weeks time."

"He's a freshman then?" Tezuka asked, no doubt the question would be in everyone's mind.

"In a way, yes…" She left off, wondering how much she could tell the regulars about Ryoma without revealing his actual mission details.

"Then we'll see him when the rest of the freshmen come aboard the ship." Tezuka did not see why there should be special treatment to this particular freshman.

"Although he could be termed as a freshman, he's more of a transfer into the Academy." She waited for questions whilst looking at the confused faces of the regulars. Though there were three she couldn't read, first was Tezuka because he was in deep thought, next was Fuji due to his smiling façade, and finally was Inui because he hid behind his reflective glasses. "He knows more than just you're average freshman, even though he is the same age as they are. He his more trained, but not from other Academies."

"Where is he?" Ryusaki-sensei's description had roused Fuji's interest and he could see that it was reflected in Tezuka's face.

"He'll be arriving soon, I've just notified him of your arrival." They waited patiently for Ryoma to arrive. All the while, Ryusaki-sensei asked them about their trip but not really debriefing them. She would wait until tomorrow when they are all rested to update the regulars about the going-ons around the rest of the Academy and colonies.

On the other side of the Academy, quite far away from where Seigaku was docked, Ryoma sat on the ground busily typing in commands on his computer. He is in the middle of updating the system with simulation programs. As he was expecting to meet with the Seigaku crew, he was semi dressed in the uniform. The only exception was his neck scarf and jacket, which is currently draped on the arms of the pilot chair. He knew the importance of making a first impression so he made a clear choice of the black neck scarf, which showed him as a member of the Echizen family, rather than the red junior or the green senior scarf. But he doubted anyone would recognize the significance of the neck-scarf.

There are a few influential families in the history of Earth protection, one of which were the Echizen that works mainly as active individual agents out of the government's control. Many other family decided to limit themselves to desk jobs or stay within the Earth's boundary. As such, members rarely see those from the Echizen line and believed the line to be extinct. The black tie is plain, but upon closer inspection, there were black embroidery of a stylized letter 'E' in a repeating pattern all over the fabric.

All of a sudden, there was a beeping sound in background, Ryoma looked around for the source. He was sure he left his PDA inside is temporary dorm room, and he seriously doubted his oyaji would be contacting him anyways. Looking closer into the cockpit, he realized the sound came from the inside of his jacket. As he searched, he only found the metallic access card that was given to him last evening by Ryusaki-sensei. But instead of being a smooth silver coloured piece of card, it now has a blinking red mark the size of a coin on it. He had no idea how to stop the sound so pressing on the dot seemed like a good idea to stop the incessant sound.

"Ryoma," The voice of Ryusaki-sensei emitted from the card, along with small 3D holographic image of her sitting on top of the card's surface. "The Seigaku has docked and heading up to my office now. I'd like you to join us here."

"Uisu" Ryoma replied, preparing to leave with his jacket in hand.

"Oh, and come in full uniform. It'd be best if you can make a good impression for the regulars." There was another beep before the hologram blinked out and left Ryoma within the silent cockpit with a blank piece of metallic card.

"Master Ryoma," Karupin's voice suddenly sounded. Ryoma was surprised but only showed by widening his eyes slight. "The upgrades have been installed correctly and there are no signs of bugs. System is ready to go."

"Ah." Ryoma carefully tied the neck scarf around his collar. If given a choice, he would have walked straight to the office as he is. But since Ryusaki-sensei had near to command him to go in perfect uniform, he had no choice but to obey. He used the now blackened screen as a mirror, checking his image before turning his mind back to Karupin. "Run simulations 5 to 25 and record the results."

"And pilot type?" Scripts began to scroll through the now alive screen inside the cockpit.

"Ghost 4" Without looking back and trusting Karupin to look after the place, lock up the cockpit, and run the relevant security programs as he left the area.

When he arrived in front of the office, he could hear voices and without even needing to press the buzzer, the sliding doors automatically opened to let him in. he looked around the room, noticing the eight people standing in front of Ryusaki-sensei's desk. He assumed these to be the regulars on board Seigaku. He consciously followed protocol and saluted to Ryusaki-sensei, even though at all other times he plainly did not do so. It was against his nature to follow all regulations, but that may be because of his upbringing with his oyaji and brother.

"Good, you're finally here. We can begin the introduction." Ryusaki Sumire remain seated behind the desk as the line of regulars in front of her parted slightly to allow her to see the new comer close to the doorway. She was pleased to see Ryoma dressed befitting to his station but hid the smile behind a professional mask. She also noticed Ryoma preferring to stay close to the door, as though prepared to escape the office at a moment's notice. "The one in front of me is the captain of Seigaku, Tezuka Kunimitsu."

Tezuka nodded to acknowledge her statement. He did a quick analysis of the young boy in front of him. Tezuka thought he recognized the uniform and at one point thought he saw some hidden pattern stitched on his scarf but it must have been a trick of light. The boy had a cocky and confident aura surrounding him and his cat-like golden eyes looked as though it can bore through a person's soul. Though Tezuka was immune to the stares he was receiving. He did not doubt that as he was making observations about the boy and storing them for future use, the boy was also doing the same.

"Next to him, on his right, vice captain Oishi Shuichiro, his partner Kikumaru Eiji and Kawamura Takeshi." Kikumaru waved enthusiastically but Oishi, on the other hand, just smiled. Kawamura was shy and did not know what reqction to give, so he settled on a small smile instead"Last on the right is Momoshiro Takeshi, who just joined the regular's position last year." Momoshiro had a grin on his face, proud to earn his stripes.

Throughout this first part of the introduction, Ryoma only nodded in acknowledgement of each member. He thought he would have difficulty in remembering all the faces and names but seeing each member being so individualistic, he realize the task may not be so difficult after all. At first glance of Tezuka, Ryoma could only think of one word—strict—but upon further inspection, he could see the warmth behind those glasses. Moving along the line, Oishi seemed to be the kind type of person who would rather not be in the spotlight, whilst his partner Kikumaru is more of a showman. Ryoma did not know what to make of Kawamura but he knew that there is power and strength behind that shy face. Momoshiro seemed to be the average big-brother figure who would volunteer information and get into trouble at the same time. His instincts told him that Kikumaru and Momoshiro could be New Human because of their physical look and he learned to trust these instincts. That was one of the main reason why he stayed so close to the doorway.

"On Tezuka's left is Fuji Shuusuke," Ryusaki-sensei continued. Fuji smiled and opened his eyes for a split second before returning his face to the same eerie smile. "The one next to him is Inui Sadaharu and finally, also a new member on the team is Kaidou Kaoru." Inui nudged his glasses up when his name was mentioned but returned to writing in his green notebook. On the other hand, Kaidou just stared up and down at Ryoma beforing letting out a soft hiss.

Ryoma's interest was further aroused after Ryusaki-sensei's introduction to the rest of the group. The feminine looking person had a strange aura about him. Ryoma had thought Fuji to be kind at first but he knew there was a devil behind the smile the moment those sapphire eyes looked at him. If people thought Ryoma's gaze was startling, it was nothing compared to Fuji's, which seemed to dissect a person to their very core just with one look. With Inui, Ryoma made a mental note to question what he wrote into the book. Ryoma knew for certain it was something to do with him. The last regular looked scary but Ryoma had seen his fare share of intimidating people so he just shrugged at the hiss.

"This here," Ryusaki-sensei gestured across the desk to where Ryoma was standing, "is Echizen Ryoma. He will be joining the Seigaku."

"Are you sure this is wise sensei?" Inui questioned. The name did not ring a bell and seeing the boy in front of his made him question Echizen's skills. "Seigaku has responsibilities for long term, outer space missions. It wouldn't do well to have to train up new rookies…"

"If that's the case, we can just test him." Momoshiro offered. He had taken a liking to Echizen already.

"I second that." Fuji was curious why Ryusaki-sensei had deliberately called this meeting. He was sure that their supervisor had expected something similar to a test being suggested to prove Echizen's worth. "It would be good to see how he could perform."

"Tezuka, what do you say?" Ryusaki asked, though also expecting the captain to agree. Although she was the highest ranking person in the room, she left the ultimate decision to Tezuka seeing as he would be the one overseeing the crew in Seigaku.

"Very well." Tezuka thought a moment at the possible tests that could allow Echizen to show his skills. "Momoshiro, since you suggested it, you can spar with Echizen. After that, we can test out his piloting skills with Kaidou."

"Are you sure this is wise…" Inui left his sentence unfinished. A few days before they docked, Momoshiro had injured his leg during one of their sparing exercises and is still recovering.

"I'm sure. Are the training centres available?" Tezuka turned to Ryusaki-sensei, who nodded. "We'll meet up there in 30 minutes so everyone can get ready."


	5. Evaluation 1

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

A/N: Many thanks to those who've reviewed and added this as their favourites! It means a lot to me! I'll try and keep up the updates…  
Please visit my poll. Need to start on the plot if people want to see pairing...

05: Evaluation (1)

Dressed in a red short-sleeve polo shirt, a pair of matching shorts and sneakers, Ryoma headed up towards the training centres offered by Seishun Academy. There was a whole level dedicated to training facilities including hand-to-hand combat rooms, which has mats on the ground to soften any fall sustained, virtual training pods for pilot simulation and training, shooting range, and gym. On his way up to the training facilities, he was met with the three freshmen he saw a few days ago in the docks. They curiously followed him for a short while, asking him questions but seeing as Ryoma was not talkative, they left his company in search of food.

As he walked towards his destination, he thought back to the profiles he managed to take a glance at during the 30 minutes. He had gained access through legal means, which included going through the database Seishun Academy has on its personnel. Though this profiles were very brief and without using a password, Ryoma only has minimum information. Most of what he wanted to know about the Seigaku crew required time to load but he manage to find information about the Captain and the rumoured Seigaku genius.

_Name: Tezuka Kunimitsu  
__Rank: Major  
__Position: Captain of Seigaku  
__Current Status: Docked in Seishun Academy  
__Last Mission: Patrol on the outer rims close to Rogaku colony. Dispatch of pirates and other prowlers close to colonies. Suspected activities seen near the outer rim, caution has been advised.  
__Achievements: --Password Required--  
__Comments: High recommendations by Colonel Yamato, General Ryusaki_

_Name: Fuji Shuusuke  
__Rank: Major  
__Position: Strategist of Seigaku  
__Current Status: Docked in Seishun Academy  
__Last Mission: --Password Required --  
__Achievements: --Password Required--  
__Comments: --Password Required--_

It was strange that information about Fuji is being kept so tight behind security. If Ryoma's curiosity had not been provoked he would not have bothered to look for information. But something told him he had to be careful around those two in particular. There was an aura of danger and secrets around the two and he had a feeling he should recognize the face and name. He was lost in thought and he did not realize he almost reached his destination.

When Ryoma arrived at the hallway leading up to one of the hand-to-hand combat training rooms, he was met with Momoshiro, who was also dressed in a similar style as Ryoma was. Momoshiro had the Seigaku blue training uniform consisting of a white polo shirt, a pair of blue training pants and matching jersey jacket. He wore a pair of sneakers that seemed to have gone through a lot of wear but is obviously comfortable.

"Yo!" Momoshiro waved at Echizen. For once, Ryoma wished he had his cap on, but he decided not to wear it seeing as he would only hinder his movements and vision rather than helping him. "Good to see you haven't got lost! It won't do if you were now would it?"

"Che." Ryoma took it to imply that he would easily get lost in the facilities, which though it may be true, he did not like that being pointed out. But he would eventually find the place, even if he were slightly late.

"You aren't afraid now are you?" Momoshiro taunted, he was in fact looking forward to the upcoming spar. Even though he is giving Echizen a handicap, but it makes up for the difference in body size.

"I'm not going to run away if that's what you meant." He walked faster than usual, preferring to leave his sempai behind as far as possible. Within minutes, they were in front of a set of dull plastic doors. Instead of the doors being automatically sliding, Momoshiro pushed inwards to reveal a large room with tatami floors and pale padded walls. In the centre, several set of mats were laid out on the floor. On the one side stood the rest of Seigaku, all changed to training uniform exactly the same as the ones Momoshiro has on.

"Wai, Ochibi!" All of a sudden, Kikumaru pounced on Echizen. His reflex not only told him to jump out of the way, but also to retaliate. But he found Kikumaru was too fast.

"Ki…Kikumaru-sempai…" With the red-head's grip being too strong for him to struggle out of without injuring the said red-head.

"Eiji," Oishi tried to pry off the older boy. "He's suffocating…"

"Ah!" EIji let go, slightly, but still kept Echizen in the crook of his arms. "Don't die Ochibi!"

"Who's Ochibi?" Ryoma asked, finally gaining the ability to breathe once more. Never had he been more glad to have oxygen in his lungs…well maybe just that time when he was floating in space and had little air left. And also the time his oyaji sent him to a disused colony only to find out it had little life support.

"You of course!" There is a Cheshire-like grin on EIji's face.

"Che." He looked away, and in Eiji's moment of inattention, Ryoma got out of his hold and jumped to the opposite side of the room.

"Ah! Oishi, Ochibi got away!" Instantly, Eiji went to Oishi's side. Oishi patted on Eiji's head, similar to comforting a cat. Satisfaction was clearly evident in Eiji's face and soon he forgot about the loss of his new found glompable toy.

"We ready to start now?" Tezukau pushed up his glasses, growing impatient by the minute. He was tempted to prescribe laps but he was willing to let it slide seeing as Echizen was new. He decided to be lenient for once. "Ryusaki-sensei, if you can be the judge?"

Ryusaki Sumire nodded and went over to the side of the centre mat. Momoshiro and Ryoma approached the floor and waited for the other party to start. Seconds pass as everyone stood in near silence, only the occasional whirring by mechanics could be heard. Ryoma though he should be courteous and start as he was the one being the _guest_.

After centring his thoughts, Ryoma charged at Momoshiro. As expected, the older boy dashed to his left. Ryoma noticed Momoshiro's movement to be awkward so instead of charging for an attack, he wanted to observe what Momoshiro could do. Ryoma threw a punch with his right arm as a ruse. Momoshiro saw the hand coming to his left, aiming for his shoulder. Instead of pivoting on his right leg to evade the punch, he ducked down knowing full well Echizen could use the chance to kick him in the face. Ryoma took a few steps back, ceasing his attack. He already figured Momoshiro must have injured his right leg. As he evade simple punches from Momoshiro, Ryoma suddenly had the thought that Tezuka may have something else on his mind. This test might not be just a test of fighting skills, it would be a test of his character, observation and judgement. It seems that his instincts to be careful around the captain paid off.

Tezuka was pleased to see that even though Echizen was a transfer into Seishun Academy, his level was on par—no, better than trainees from the Academy. But he wondered where the boy had learned the skills. Ryusaki-sensei had mentioned he was not a transfer from the other Academies. It would mean someone had taught the boy. If they could recruit the mentor as well into the Forces, it would benefit Earth in the long run. But Ryusaki-sensei was not forthcoming with the information and he was sure asking Echizen would be useless. Turning his attention back to the fight, he realized it was Momoshiro who was on the attack and Echizen on the defence. Though the young boy's face seemed thoughtful, as though his mind was preoccupied with something other than the fight.

'What to do, what to do…' Ryoma thought to himself. His body was on autopilot as he evaded punch after punch. Years of practice with his brother and his oyaji's inconsiderate training methods involving throwing both younger Echizens into cleanup missions, conditioned Ryoma's body to a point where it would react naturally to surrounding dangerous, mostly offensive, auras. 'A normal spar would mean knocking the opponent on the ground but doing so may not endear me to the Captain.' Ryoma felt and intense gaze following him around but he did not have the time to pick out the owner of the gaze. He dodged another arm, realizing Momoshiro never attack from the ground. If Ryoma were a cheat, he would have kicked Momoshiro's legs from underneath but he refuse to do so.

"What? You're not going to attack?" Momoshiro taunted again. Apart from the initial attack, Echizen had remained on the defence. He wondered if the boy was going easy on him.

"Humph." Ignoring the comment, Ryoma thought he had enough information and it was time to begin his attack once more. Who cares what the Captain might think, they are here to test his skills and show them he will.

His body was well used to Momoshiro's pace and the moment the elder boy threw another punch to his face, he grabbed hold of the arm and pulled it backwards. He allowed the momentum of the punch to follow through, over his head. At the same time, Ryoma kicked up his right leg into Momoshiro's torso, effectively changing his balance. Ryoma managed to through Momoshiro backwards, whilst flipping to land on the older boy. There was a groan of discomfort beneath and Ryoma took that as a sign. Gracefully, he rolled of Momoshiro and crouched near the edge of the mat. Though it gave him no space to move about, with his position facing Momoshiro, Ryoma could tell when an attack would come and defend accordingly. However, it seemed Momsohiro was out of tricks. He raised his right arm up in the air, vertically, and waved.

"I give. I give." Momoshiro panted. "Jeeze, who thought someone like you can do a throw like that." Surprise was evident in his voice.

Ryoma knew his suspicions were correct, that Momoshiro was injured, as he saw Oishi rushed forward to the fallen boy with a first aid kit. Oishi was quick to ask several questions whilst examining the right ankle. Ryoma, on the other hand, was approached by Fuji with a drink in hand.

"Here, you need it." Fuji said softly. He saw Kikumaru patting Momoshiro on the back, as though congratulating him, with a grin on his face. On the other end of the room, Kaidou stood by himself and let out a disapproving hiss. However, they were all spared of another argument as apparently, Momoshiro had not heard Kaidou because Oishi was keeping him busy.

"Thanks Fuji-sempai." Ryoma replied, graciously accepting the drink. Though, he did hesitate for a moment whether the bottled liquid was safe to drink. But his body overruled his mind and took a sip. He was glad that it was only water, but slightly sadden that it wasn't Ponta.

"Both of you did a great job." It was a close to a full compliment from Tezuka that anyone could get.

"Well, we've tested your skills as a fighter." Inui continued on, ignoring the tired looks from Ryoma. "But we still need to see how you perform as a pilot."

"Go clean both of yourselves up then meet back here." Tezuka commanded once more. He then turned to Ryoma, "You'll be facing Kaidou next."

"Uisu." Ryoma nodded. He had half hoped to use his own craft but by the looks of it, he would be using one of the Academy training craft.

"There are showers in the back, I'll show you." Fuji offered with a smile that says resistance of offer is futile. Both could see Momoshiro heading off in the said direction with slight difficulty. The rest of the group remained standing on the other side. Tezuka, Oishi, Inui and Ryusaki-sensei was in deep discussion but Fuji paid that to no mind. He knew Eiji would recount to him what was discussed.


	6. At The Lockers

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

A/N: Many thanks for the wonderous reviews! So far in the paring votes, I have 1 for Pillar, 1 for Thrill, and 1 for OT5/OT6. Still have time to voice your opinions!

Reviews most welcomed!

06: At The Lockers

"Man, he's one scary kid." Momoshiro still had slightly wet hair when he came out of the locker rooms.

"Was it wise to let him have the upper hand Momoshiro?" Ryusaki Sumire stayed behind when the rest of the Seigaku group had left for the docks.

"That kid already knew about my injury." Momoshiro scratched his head bashfully. "That's why he's one scary kid. Where did he come from obaa-san?"

"I told you before, he's a transfer." Ryusaki Sumire smiled. That was the cover story they were sticking to. It was decided beforehand between herself and Ryoma that the less his shipmates know the better.

"You're keeping secrets from us?" Momoshiro grabbed the drink he left on the benches before going into the locker room. Carefully, he took a sip, just in case Inui-sempai decided to leave his bottle around like last time. "He's one of us right?"

"Ho?" Ryusaki's eyebrows lifted, it was not often Momoshiro showed his perceptiveness. She knew that by _us_, Momoshiro meant Ryoma as being not quite human. Seigaku, similarly Seighun Academy, is the only faction under the Earth's Forces that accept and trust those that are not fully, genetically human. "How did you find out?"

"He's young, small, but was still able to through me over his head. That's just not human, not human at all." But Momoshiro did not mean it in a bad way. "Though…"

There was a sudden beep that cut off their conversation. Ryusaki-sensei excused herself from Momoshiro. He remained standing and relaxed his muscle, waiting patiently for her to finish.

"Sorry, Momoshiro, I'm needed at the office. When Echizen comes out, can you tell him to head to the docks on Seigaku instead." She smiled and left quickly for the office, trusting Momoshiro to deliver the message.

"Eh? Aren't we testing Echizen's piloting skills? Shouldn't head to the training docks instead?"

Ryusaki Sumire stopped in her tracks, turning back to Momoshiro. "Arai saw the fight between the two of you and requested Tezuka to let him fight Echizen. Looks like he couldn't swallow your failure."

Momoshiro hid a grin and waved Ryusaki-sensei goodbye and promised to pass on the message and escort the young Echizen to the next destination.

Inside the locker room, Ryoma took the time to relax his muscle. Though he had not overexerted himself in the spar, he still like to take the time to enjoy how the hot water could bring comfort to his body. He realize the Seigaku team is indeed interesting, Momoshiro is without a doubt a New Human, though how he ended up here was a mystery. He made a note to dig deeper into the history of the members.

He grabbed the nearest dry towel and began to dry off as he headed back to the changing area. Though he did not expect Fuji-sempai to be sitting on the plastic benches that stood between the lockers.

"I thought you might need some clean clothes to change into." Fuji padded to the small stack next to him. "Since you're new here, you probably don't have a locker yet."

Ryoma muttered underneath his breath, but his words were too soft to be picked up. He grabbed the bundle of clothing and headed somewhere else to change. He wasn't shy to change in front of someone else, only Fuji-sempai's smile was unnerving him.

"It might be a bit big for you though, I got them from my locker." Fuji offered small talk while he waited for Echizen to return.

"Fuji-sempai," Ryoma walked out from behind the row of lockers, disposing the towels in a nearby bin at the same time, "why are you still here?"

"To keep you company of course." Another smile from Fuji earned another small shiver from Echizen. Accompanying that shiver was a sigh then a mutter. "We're going to see how you fare as a pilot next."

Ryoma had a feeling that Fuji-sempai wanted to say more. He ignored the elder boy and headed out the door. That only prompted Fuji's smile to grow. He had waited for over quarter of an hour for the boy to come out but at least his time was not wasted. It was interesting to see Echizen's reaction to his presence. For once he wished he had some way of capturing the stunned expression he saw when Echizen just came out of the showers.

"Oh, Echizen!" Momoshiro greeted enthusiastically. But once he realized Fuji-sempai was with the boy, he stopped abruptly.

Ryoma groaned, wondering internally what his day was turning into. It seems that his being within Seigaku would be filled with either annoying sempais or loud sempais. And the list seems to be growing by the second. He cursed his oyaji for sending him out here.

"We're going back to the Seigaku for the next round." Momoshiro led the way. He repeated what Ryusaki-sensei told him around an hour ago.

"You seem to be a magnet for people." Fuji teased. Echizen had an aura about him that attracted others, though it may not always be for positive reasons.

"Oi~!" Kawamura called from the end of the hallway, running towards.

"Ah, Taka-san." Fuji greeted in return, "What brings you here?"

"You guys were taking too long. Oishi was getting worried and Tezuka sent me to fetch you guys." Kawamura looked at Echizen in concern, though the young boy was quite sure he did nothing to rouse his suspicions. "You're not hurt anywhere are you?"

Ryoma gave Kawamura a strange look in return, not sure how to answer that question.

As they walked further, Fuji and Momoshiro were behind the other two, chatting. But it was more Momoshiro talking about the various burger shops and the new menus he read about.

"Is there anything you particularly want to know?" Kawamura offered but Echizen remained silent and Kawamura was not sure whether the boy heard him. Deciding it would be awkward to stop right there, he volunteered more information. "Well, as you know, Tezuka became the Captain of the crew 2 years ago when the then Captain Yamato named Tezuka as the successor. But when Captain Yamato left, so did majority of the older crew. Many of us Regulars had to take on many more responsibilities. I took over the kitchen staff and management, Momoshiro and Kaidou has the freshman and juniors training, Tezuka and Fujiko has the senior training. Kikumaru with pilot training and Oishi takes over the infirmary."

"Inui-sempai helps out as he pleases though." Momoshiro added, "but just be careful of anything he left behind. And be wary of the medications he prescribes."

"Officially, he's physiotherapist of the ship but Inui has the tendency to create healthy drinks and seems like he is extending it to anything edible." Kawamura continued. It seems to Ryoma that Seigaku is really full of strange people.

"It's not that bad. Inui's series of vegetable juices were quite enjoyable." Fuiji smiled. For a moment, everyone else thought he would pull out a bottle filled with said invention. Momoshiro shivered visibly.

"But Fuji-sempai, only you can stand Inui-sempai's juices without having to run for the nearest water fountain."

"Anyways, Echizen, Seigaku's duties are not much different from any fleets of the other Academies." Kawamura offered as they stepped out of the elevator, finally arriving to their destination. Ryoma wondered when his day would end. He really needed some form of sugar, preferably in the form of Ponta, or sleep.


	7. Evaluation 2

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

07: Evaluation (2)

"Kid, you're going down." Arai met up with the incoming group at the entrance.

"Arai, save it for later." His companion placed a hand on Arai's shoulder and steered him away. Arai gave Echizen a scowl, which was returned with a smirk.

'At least this would be the highlight of my day.' Ryoma thought to himself, boredom and need for sugar temporarily abated.

"Don't mind him Echizen." Momoshiro comforted. "Arai joined the same year as I did. He's a pretty good pilot so watch out in the air."

"Echizen, you feeling up for this? If not, we can always rearrange." Oishi came over to the group.

"I'm fine Oishi-sempai. Why is everyone asking me that?" Ryoma find it really annoying how everyone just assumed him to be weak because of his statue. He swears he had probably seen more than anyone in current company.

Oishi said nothing to answer Echizen's question but smile and walked towards the few crafts left within the docks. "Unfortunately, since Seigaku is scheduled for a full upgrade of equipment, you aren't left with many crafts to choose from."

True to his sempai's words, the dock inside Seigaku was emptier than it should be considering that it houses more than 20 pilots on its routine patrols. Their footsteps echoed loudly. On one side sat two first generation crafts, still shining new indicating that it was rarely used. The first generation crafts had a stiff AI system, low manoeuvrability but high defence. The hull of the craft was thick enough to stop physical small missiles flying through the air. On the other side sat another two second generation crafts, some with dents but mostly in quite good condition. The second generation crafts are more balance and can have its AI customized to suit different flying styles. The hull was not as thick as the first generations but it had a good evasion system. When constructing his craft, Ryoma had looked into many types of crafts and their evolutionary partners so he had a good idea of what types are at the Earth Force's disposal. He considered the pros and cons with the two types present, but settled on the newer generation seeing as how he wanted more control over his flight. He was trying to be cautious this time because he did not want people to know about Karupin just yet. Karupin is a special craft, not only because Ryoma made it himself, but because of the various secrets that it holds such as the technologies involved.

Ryoma did not even bother to change out of his existing clothes when he entered the cockpit. He tested the headgear that settled on the seat and connected himself to the control room.

"Ochibi!" Kikumaru called out from the speakers. Ryoma winced at the loud sound but remained on task, checking over the equipment and configuring the various settings to his liking.

"Kikumaru-sempai, you're in charge of the control room?" Ryoma could not contain his curiosity. He wondered if something disastrous would happen if the hyperactive red-headed sempai was in charge of keeping people safe behind the control room.

"Nope." Ryoma could practically see the grin on the sempai's face, and to that he heaved a sigh of relief. Even though they all just met an hour ago, Ryoma could not help but feel as though he had known these people for his whole lifetime. "I'm here to say hi then I'll be out there with the two of you, just in case."

Ryoma wondered what the _'just in case'_ meant. Since Seishun Academy is considered to be in a safe zone, well away from any unfriendly forces. But he assumed that it was just standard procedure. He ignored the background chat and launched out of the docks, relishing in the feeling of the flying in space without gravity. It took a moment for Ryoma to adjust to the controls, as these older generation crafts uses a set of joystick rather than an integrated navigational system similar to Karupin. It was tempting to switch off the AI and trust his own instincts but instead, he set the AI only to alert him in emergencies and returned his focus on the panoramic view displayed on the screens in front him.

Within moments, Ryoma encountered another craft, which he assumed to be Arai's. He saw how his opponent craft weaved itself in and out of the debris field. It seems that his opponent is as decent a pilot as Momoshiro-sempai made him out to be, even if his actions were a bit heavy and unpractised. There were a few times the craft barely managed to avoid small pieces of floating debris that is difficult to be noticed the monitors.

"Are the two of you ready?" Oishi's voice came through the speakers this time. "I'll just explain the rules for the benefit of Echizen. We'll be using the competition rule, first to six point wins. To get one point, you must hit the opponent's craft four times. Once a point has been allocated, the hit counter resets. There are two conditions to winning, first is to get six point, the other is to be two points ahead of your opponent. In the case that both earned six point, the first to have seven hits on their opponent, with a two hit lead, will be declared the winner. Is that clear?"

"Like tennis…" Ryoma muttered to himself softly. Apparently Oishi-sempai picked up on the some small noise and asked Ryoma to repeat what the comment but Ryoma just answered with an "Understood".

"Please be careful out in the debris field." Oishi once again reminded both pilots out in space. Only himself remained in the control room, the rest of the regulars decided to go to the viewing platform to observe the fight, with the exception of Eiji who seems to be having a good time doing somersaults in space.

Ryoma took that as the sounding whistle and quickly moved his craft into the debris. The early performance made Ryoma realize his sempai's inexperience in overly crowded places. Though it was beneficial to Ryoma because he was more used to flying through small obstacles and he was confident that he could out fly the heavy craft of his opponent.

Inside Seigaku, the Regulars stood in a row in front of the large window overlooking the debris field. Tezuka kept his eyes trained on the small silver and blue craft flown by Echizen whilst keeping an ear to the conversation happening around him.

"Inui, did you find anything on Echizen?" Fuji asked in curiosity. He figured that within the hour they were gone, Inui must have gone through various databases to find out about the young boy Ryusaki-sensei insisted they should meet.

"Nothing in the system." Inui replied with a small sigh and lifted his glasses to better read his notebook. "All we know is that he came from one of the outlying satellite colonies established some years ago, even the name wasn't mentioned. There's no information on where he's been educated, who he has connections to or what he is…"

"He's like all of us," Momoshiro offered his two cents, repeating the reasonings he gave to Ryusaki-sensei.

"That's good isn't it?" Kawamura looked towards the group, He was slightly worried that if Echizen might have feelings of hate within him if the boy found out about the Regulars. There are some of the crew who transferred out of Seigaku just because they could not stand to live with people who are not as human.

"It would be a shame to lose such talent to others wouldn't it Tezuka?" Fuji patted Kawamura on the back as comfort before turning to Tezuka who seemed to be paying more attention to the fight outside. Briefly surveying the expanse of space, he found Echizen's craft to be doing fine avoiding direct hits from Arai's craft. Looking at the scoreboard, neither side had scored a point.

Eiji floated around the outer edges of the debris field, far enough away from the actual fighting but still being close enough to view the fight. He was also relaying comments to Oishi but most of the time, the two just chatted about things. Eiji saw how Ochibi evaded the small debris scattered throughout the area, most of which are metal parts from old satellites and scraps of material. Then, Arai began the attack, first trying to ram his ship onto the opponent but failed when Echizen's craft rolled over in the last minute. Because of Eiji's close proximity to the crafts, he could pick up the small chatter that was generally not broadcasted back to the control room.

"Damn it. This ship could barely move." Echizen muttered then swore some more. Eiji smiled, wondering how someone as young as Echizen managed to learn such a _variety_ of words to describe his current situation. True, the second generation crafts may have higher manoeuvrability but it was still no match to the customized craft Arai is piloting. Seniors on Seigaku receives a craft, when they become a permanent crew member, which they can customize. These crafts, though mass produced, are built to quite high standards. But when compared to the crafts the Regulars have, they are very different. Whilst the seniors' craft can be customized according to specified settings, the Regular's crafts are personalized to accentuate their abilities. Eiji has a feeling that Ochibi might own a personalized craft.

"You giving up already kid?" Aria taunted again, seeing the difficulties faced by Echizen.

"As if." Ryoma muttered into the headset. He looked around the field for a place to temporary regain is breath and analyze the situation. He found one, a niche created by some floating chunks of metal. The metal should provide physical protection and obscure his craft from his opponent's monitor.

"Where are you heading?" Arai fired, effectively cutting Echizen's route and eliminating the large piece of metal. "You're running away?"

"Whoa, Oishi! Is that live fire?" Eiji called into his headset. There shouldn't be an explosion if Arai was using the training bullets. "Did Tezuka allow that?"

"I don't think so Eiji. And I have a feeling that Echizen's ship only has paint bullets. It's one of the training craft after all."

"Shouldn't we call it off then? It'll be dangerous for Ochibi." Eiji was moving into a strategic position that allows him to intercept Echizen for quick extraction.

"I haven't received word from Tezuka so I'm assuming that either he doesn't know, which is really unlikely, or he wants to see Echizen's limit."

Back on the field, Ryoma was close to the explosion and he barely escaped the flying debris which could easily cut through the armour of the craft. In hindsight, he should have changed into the pilot gear so it wouldn't pose such a risk if he was hit. But Ryoma knew now is not the time to regret his decision. Focusing on the task at hand, he reached out to the side of the cockpit to pull out a small keyboard. All crafts have built in an access panel, mostly in the form of a keyboard, to access into the system of the craft. With one eye on the panoramic screens, he manoeuvred the craft with his right hand and typed commands with his left. He found the autopilot option and had the craft's evasion and detection settings set to high. Leaving the flying to the autopilot, even though Ryoma was uncomfortable with an unknown AI, he searched through the weaponry on board. There was not much, the craft had directional pods that fired paint missiles, several guns built into the armour to shoot down incoming missiles and a single gun, again firing the paint bullets. The only live round he had were the built-in side guns but the firepower is very low and it would not do much damage. Thinking back to the rules and the point system, Ryoma realized he did not have to deliver a damaging blow, only a hit on the craft. With that in mind, he formulated a plan with the limited accessory.

Once Ryoma decided on his course of action, he switched the autopilot off, just in time to evade the shot fired at him, and swerved his craft to face his opponent. It was now a game of bravery, where a misstep could cost Ryoma his live. But he was used to putting his live on the line and he was determined, and confident, that he could beat his opponent even at this disadvantage. Both their crafts are flying at dangerous speed towards each other, as though the aim was to ram into the other's craft. But Ryoma had other thoughts in mind. At the right moment, he pulled the trigger on the single gun and fired into the central monitor of the craft. Pulling himself up, he fired several more shots with the directional pods. If Ryoma's aim was true, this attack would effectively blind his opponent and earn him two points.

Arai's craft stayed silent in the middle of the debris field. Arai was cut off by sight and his monitors were giving him inaccurate readings due to the surroundings. He knew he was not fighting a losing game.

"Oishi, Oishi!" Eiji cried through the headset excitedly, "did you see that! Ochibi turned the tables and is now on the advantage!"

Inside the view platform, Fuji smiled in satisfaction. For a moment, he was scared for Echizen who had to fight again someone who could easily kill him off in one shot. But seeing the amazing move he made, Fuji was confident Echizen could win. In light of this, Fuji has a hunch on who Echizen Ryoma could be.

"Seems like we might have an interesting Competition after all." Fuji commented loud enough for everyone to hear.

Kaidou let out another hiss. It was embarrassing enough for the kid to win against Momoshiro, but to outwit Arai as well was just something he could not take. Until Kaidou has a chance to test the boy out for himself, he would not recognize Echizen Ryoma as part of the team. Kaidou left as soon as he saw the immanent failure of Arai, figuring he should train up for the upcoming Competition and make full use of Seishun Academy's training facilities.


	8. Respite

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

08: Respite

"Ah!" Kachiro recognized the fourth member sharing their dorm. It was regulation that crewmembers share a dorm, with the exception of the Regulars because of their duties.

The Seigaku ship sleeping quarters were sectioned off according to the crewmember's position. Each section has their own common room for the people to rest and socialize. The Regulars have their own room whilst seniors share a room between two. The juniors' dorm is designed for sharing between four whilst freshman, because of the big numbers, have to share a dorm between six.

"You're sharing the dorm with us?" Kachiro came over from his unpacking. They were given a tour of the Seigaku moments ago and have been just assigned to a room. They were fortunately given the day off to familiar themselves and to unpack their things before having to start their physical training schedules tomorrow.

Ryoma yawned, it had been three days since the unofficial introduction to the Seigaku Regulars. During this time, he spent every waking moment searching for the personal files behind all its Regular members. He had found them but the files were encrypted, which only meant he had to spend more time decrypting them. He adjusted the rug sack on his shoulder, which contained the essentials and a few memorabilia. He turned his focus back towards the surroundings and found he was going to share a room with the three freshmen he met before.

"See!" Horio said proudly, "I told you he was a freshman. By the way, why were in the docks?"

"None of your business." Ryoma shrugged them off and headed towards the beds.

To say they were beds might have been inaccurate. It was more like stacked living cubicles, with curtains that can be drawn to keep privacy. There were three to each side and a door, opposite the entrance, that leads to a bathroom. Within the dorm was also a large display screen. To one side of the cubicle was a set of ladders for access, the other was set of wardrobe/storage locker, one for each occupant of the room. Inside the cubicle was a small shelf to hold some small trinkets and a small screen with access ports to connect personal devices to.

Without hesitation, Ryoma took the topmost bunk on the left, threw his rug sack up and climbed the ladder. He was ready for a light nap before going to find food.

"Hey, what's your name?" Horio called out, still determined to know more about the personal they were sharing the living space with.

"Horio, are you sure we should disturb him? He looks about to drop off to sleep." Being a considerate person, Katsuo tried to persuade Horio to stop pestering their roommate without success.

"Echizen Ryoma." He said from his laying down position with no intention of continuing a conversation. He saw how messy the room was and thought that the three would be concentrating more on the packing and cleaning rather than grilling him for information. At any other time, he would entertain them and give them short, one-word answers. But the lack of sleep, even if self inflicted, was affecting him and he would like nothing more than being able to drift off into oblivion.

"So, why are you here? I've never seen you in the Academy before. Are you a transfer?" Horio continued on with a line of questions. Ryoma soon realized he was not going to get any sleep in this room and jumped down from his bed. The three freshman watched in amazement as they saw Ryoma landed gracefully in a crouched position. "Hey, where are you going?"

Ryoma ignored the question and headed in a random direction. He had uploaded a map of Seigaku into his PDA so if he did get lost, he would be able to find his a way back to the dorms. During his walk, he figured he might head over to one of the viewing platforms, where he hoped to find some peace and quiet. During the tour of Seigaku, he remembered seeing one close by their dorms.

Ryoma was in luck as everyone was busy in their dorms to start exploring the place. There were bench seats facing a large window that overlooked into the vacant space filled with stars. There were handle bars mounted on the ceiling and walls to guide people when Seigaku starts the journey in space, where there would be no gravity in this room. Ryoma lay down onto the bench farthest away from the door and closed his eyes. He ignored the niggling feeling at the back of his mind which was telling him he was forgetting to do something.

The Regular's quarters were more-or-less quiet, with Inui trying to dig up more information on Echizen, Kawamura and Oishi were out checking the supplies for the ship, Tezuka was busy drawing up the schedule for the upcoming Competition, and Kaidou was training somewhere. Fuji sat in their common area, enjoying the rare peacefulness of Seigaku when Eiji tapped impatiently next to the doorway.

"Momo. Are you ready yet?" Eiji called in the direction of Momoshiro's room. He was dressed casually, out of the Seigaku uniform.

"Coming. Coming! Just a minute!" Momoshiro's voice was muffled by the door but both Fuji and Kikumaru heard a loud thump and something falling onto the ground.

"Are the two of you going somewhere?" Fuji asked inquisitively. He too was dressed down for the day.

"Momo said he wanted to go into the colony. I thought it'll be a good idea to show Ochibi around as well. So once Momo comes out, we're going to find Ochibi then have a day out and stuff."

"Hm…mind if I join?" Fuji thought it would be a better use of his time. Plus he might find out more about Echizen this way than to wait for Inui to finish his data gathering.

"The more the marrier!" Eiji smiled then turned towards Tezuka, who stared at the gridded sheet of paper he had been working on for the past ten minutes. "You want to come to Tezuka?"

"It's about time you have a break." Fuji approached Tezuka and peaked from behind to take a look at the paperwork that has been bothering their Captain. "I'll give you some help here." He took the nearest pen and started writing in names.

"Fuji." Tezuka warned, looking directly at the Tensai. "I can call this insubordination."

"But you won't." Fuji smiled, finishing off the last gridded square. "Besides, I'm only penning down what you've been thinking for the last hour. So in a way, I'm helping you finalize your work and make up your mind. It's in my job description to do so."

"So are you coming as well Tezuka-buchou?" Momoshiro was finally out of his room.

And it was because of that, and under the insistence of Fuji, that Tezuka found himself standing outside waiting for the elevator dressed in civilian clothing.

"What room is Echizen in again?" Kikumaru asked as they stood around the corridor to the freshman dorm. Momoshiro thought for a moment but shook his head.

"Inui said it was 1-C" Fuji remembered the data analyst muttering a string of names and their room numbers earlier in the morning. Fuji had wondered at that point why Inui did that but the analyst was quick to disappear into his room.

"Hey, is Echizen here?" Momoshiro was the first to arrive at the doorway to 1-C and called into the busy room. Inside were only three freshman, moving about and arranging their belongings.

"Sempai!" The three voices replied at the same time. It was surprising for them to see the Regulars out of uniform. However, it was Horio who actually replied the question. "Echizen just went out a moment ago."

"Where did he go?" Momoshiro and the others did not meet up with Echizen on the way, and seeing as there was only one elevator reaching the living quarters of Seigaku, it means Echizen should still be nearby.

"Not sure sempai, he just left. I think he was irritated or something." Katsuo stopped his work and turned towards the four standing by the doorway. "I think he went to someplace quiet."

"Hm…" Fuji thought for a moment.

"Wai~ Where could he be?" Kikumaru was near to a whining state. He had wanted to show Echizen some of the good places down in the colony.

"He's probably down by the viewing platforms." Fuji voiced out his hunch. And true to his hunch, Echizen was found peacefully sleeping on a bench.

"Ochibi!" Kikumaru cried out and launched at Echizen. "Let's have fun together!"

Ryoma was sleeping peacefully, having a wonderful dream until his loud sempai shouted in his ear. His instincts, even in his half-asleep state, were to hit whoever was shouting in his ear then run for the exit. However, his sempai's grip was strong and was chocking him to the point of turning his face blue. For a second, he wondered if it was alright to hurt him.

"Eiji, I think he's beginning to suffocate." Fuji reminded the boy. Without Oishi here, it might be hard to pry the overactive Eiji off a hugable Echizen.

"Ah. Sorry Ochibi." Eiji let the pressure go around Echizen's neck but still has his arms around the boy's shoulder. "Let's go down to the colony!" He was practically pulling Echizen out the door even though he resisted.

"Wait Kikumaru-sempai!" Ryoma tried to shrug out of Kikumaru's grip.

"What you don't want to come with us?" Fuji was quickly by Eiji's side, then gesturing to Tezuka and Momoshiro by the doorway. "We thought we might give you a better tour of the place." It was the same smile that Ryoma saw in the locker room, one which suggests that Ryoma should follow unless he wanted to see the consequences.

"Come on! It'll be fun! I'll show you all the burger places!" Momoshiro was at the other side of Echizen and was ready to pick the boy up with Kikumaru-sempai on the other side.

Knowing there was no way he could escape, Ryoma nodded and followed the group. With Kikumaru and Momoshiro leading the front and Fuji behind him, there was no way of suddenly disappearing back to the dorm. However, Ryoma found he was not the only person stuck. Beside him walked Tezuka who seems to be in a similar situation. Their eyes met for a second, both sensing the hopelessness in this situation and sighed. They knew it would be a very, very long day indeed.


	9. Day Out

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

09: Day Out

"Welcome to Seishun Dai (1)." Eiji said as soon as they got a glimpse of a small settlement from inside the shuttle. Seishun Academy sits on top of the existing Seishun Dai colony, connected by a shuttle service that lets the students visit the colony on their day off. The colony was small in comparison to Hyotei and Rikkai but it was cosy in Ryoma's opinion. When they stepped out of the shuttle, Ryoma was bombarded with the lively sounds of people living their lives, enjoying their time. It was a stark comparison to the colony that his Oyaji and himself had lived in for the past year.

"It's really a great place. Taka-san lived here before attending Seishun Academy." Momoshiro pointed at a sushi house close by the station. "There's a lot of facilities here in such a small colony. Most people move away once they graduated but there's still a lot of people living in this small space."

"Where are we going now?" Ryoma asked, noticing the bustling activity around the station. Everything was capturing his interest. It had been quite some time when he last set foot on friendly grounds.

"Burger first! Burger first!" Momoshiro shouted, leading the way to his favourite burger shop. "It's lunch time so we might as well eat."

As they walked down the busy streets, Ryoma was glad that they managed to stop by his dorm first to change out of the uniform. He would be standing out in the crowd if they left straight away. It might have been his Oyaji's incessant mutterings about how it was more beneficial to stay incognito and an unknown. But glancing around at the people's reaction to their group, they were attracting a lot of attention. He was glad he had his cap on as he pulled it down lower.

"Are you settled in Seigaku?" Tezuka asked as they settled in the burger shop. Momoshiro and Kikumaru were in charge of buying their food. At any other time, he would not have spoken. But without Fuji here, as he went to pick up something he ordered a few month ago, it was awkward just sitting in silence.

Ryoma nodded, waiting for the Captain to continue. He was curious what type of person the Captain of Seigaku would be. The information he retrieved from the database only revealed him to be a competent and strict leader. However, he was also caring about the welfare of his subordinates. But he was a stickler to the rulebook. Ryoma concluded it would be best to stay on the good side of the Captain, just to make his life in Seigaku that much easier.

"You'll probably know later tonight or early tomorrow but you've been placed in the competition line up. Do you have your own craft?" Tezuka was sticking to safe topics, even though he itched to know more about Echizen's background. He was not the type of person to pry but there was something in Echizen that triggered his curiosity. It was as though he should know the person in front of him—at least know what his name stood for.

Ryoma nodded again at the question. Though he was surprised to be placed in the line-up. He heard that freshman do not get the chance until they rise to the Junior rank, which is at least nine months after they boarded. But he guessed it was because of his performance that they allowed this exception. Though he was sure it may raise some discomfort with the older crew members.

"It looks like I'm just in time." Fuji sat down at the exact time Momoshiro and Kikumaru returned with a tray of food each. Tezuka heaved an internal sigh of relief knowing he did not have to make small talk with the young boy.

Fuji noticed the look of relief, even though it was well hidden, on Tezuka's face. Years of studying together made him capable of reading the various, miniscule, reactions portrayed on the stoic Captain's face. However, the look on Echizen was harder to read. The boy was either in deep thought or complete boredom. Fuji placed the package on the table, and even though Momoshiro and Kikumaru looked interested, they had not voiced the question. Echizen, on the other hand, ignored his gesture all together and reached for the nearest burger, fries and drink as though nothing happened. It seems that the boy would not turn down a free meal.

The group sat in the burger shop for an hour, finishing the tray of food then sat to chat. Ryoma opened up slightly, feeling much better after there was some food in his stomach. Even though he was still tired, it was better than an hour ago when he could literally fall asleep on his feet.

"How about we go to the game centre next?" Kikumaru suggested, obviously leading the way to their next destination even without everyone's consent. "I heard that they have a new shooting game…"

On the way, they passed by a seemingly empty lot. There were trees surrounding the lot, with two low poles set up in the middle, and a line of bleachers on the side. There was also a board of some sort and a high chair. But the place was empty and looked disused.

"Something caught your interest Echizen?" Fuji noticed the distracted look on the young boy's face. He glanced over at the object of interest.

"That's the old tennis court. A remnant of the past." Kikumaru, who apparently heard Fuji's question, turned his head back. "Barely anyone knows how to play the sport now. But they thought it would be good to keep the courts here. For multi-purpose space and such."

"Do you know how to play Echizen?" Fuji knew that those who know the sport would most likely be one of the older families that help establish the colonisation. It would also mean that there was a high chance Echizen was involved in the Earth's Force through family, similar to Tezuka and his own situation.

Ryoma shook his head after a moment's thought. He was not sure what his sempai was trying to get out of him. But he knew the less he divulge his past the better.

"Shame really. It's such an interesting sport, right Tezuka?" Fuji did not receive a reply from the Captain standing next to Echizen. The three had to walk quick to catch up to the pair of avid gamers who apparently were waiting for them at the intersection.

Arriving at the game centre, Momoshiro and Kikumaru went off to the newest game console and started playing. It left Fuji, Tezuka and Ryoma standing in the front doors. Ryoma looked up at the florescent sign, noticing that it was lighted up even in the middle of the day. There were a few UFO (2) machines set up by the sliding doors. Stepping inside was like cutting themselves away from reality, where music blasted from wall speakers and sounds from the gaming consoles bounced of the reflective walls. It took a while for Ryoma to adjust but he soon found where his two other sempais were and headed over to see the game. Ryoma had rarely visited such stores, preferring to stay in quiet parks.

"Looks like the two of us are designated guardians." Fuji joked with Tezuka by his side. They both noticed the spark of interest in Echizen's eyes and did not stop the boy from venturing deeper into the game centre. It was only natural for someone like him to be attracted. Though both wondered why the attraction was so intense.

A/N:

(1): Seishun Dai literally means "Seishun platform". It's actually the name of the station in the anime.

(2): UFO machines are those that you put in 500 yen and try to grab the toy/gift with the forks. You always see them outside gaming centres. If you don't know what they look like, google it.


	10. Competition: Day 1

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

10: Competition—Day 1

"Whoa, Echizen, you were chosen in the Competition line-up, did you know that?" Horio asked the very morning the competitions were to start. It was lucky that Tezuka-buchou had told him beforehand as Ryoma had the tendency to not check notices.

"Yea Ryoma-kun. All of us were really surprised and impressed." Kachiro joined the table with his tray of breakfast. "All of us are rooting for you!"

"But did you see who Echizen's opponent would be?" Horio pulled out his access card, which apparently acted as a storage device as well. With a couple of finger motions, he displayed the schedule for Echizen's Block. "This is Block D. You've got to compete against two Regulars and a bunch of Seniors. It's tough."

"But Ryoma-kun's going to win." Katsuo chimed in from beside Ryoma. For Ryoma, this morning is like any other morning, he did not pay much attention to the Competitions that would be held later in the afternoon.

"It's great that we can finally take a break from the training." Horio stretched his hands up and looked over at the cafeteria. It was full of freshman enjoying the time off. For the past week, they were all put through strict physical training to prepare them for piloting lessons. Though for Ryoma, it was like a stroll in the park.

"What are you planning to do for the rest of the day Ryoma-kun." Kachiro glanced at the Competition schedule still on display. "You've got three matches today."

"You're going to practice aren't you? At least you should be in preparation for the matches against the Regulars." Horio's announcement had attracted the attention of the nearby freshman. But it was all ignored when Ryoma got up from his seat with an empty tray in hand.

"Oi Echizen, where are you going?"

Ryoma knew that either he escape the cafeteria now or there would be no escape from the curious group. So instead of his earlier plan, which was to find a nice quiet spot inside Seigaku, he opted to go to the dock Karupin was parked in. He use the time to prep Karupin up to prepare for today's competition matches. His craft just had an upgrade but with three consecutive matches, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The morning's matches were a breeze. It was nothing compared to his oyaji's training but it served as a good warm up for him. However, the afternoon's match seemed to be the star of the day, attracting all the Regulars to watch.

"How do you think Echizen would do against Kaidou?" Fuji asked Tezuka who was standing next to him.

"If Echizen can prove himself to be on par, I'll consider your suggestion of moving Echizen into the Regulars position."

"Then maybe I should go visit him and give him tips."

Out in the emptiness of space, Ryome floated peacefully and nearly falling asleep in the process. There was still time before his matchup against Kaidou-sempai and for some reason, he was looking forward to the challenge.

Like any other matches, Ryoma started off with just observing his opponent. Although, with Karupin as his support AI, it made the process a lot easier. He could focus his efforts in evading the tracking shots Kaidou-sempai sent in his direction.

"This is getting a bit annoying don't you think Karupin?" RYoma muttered to his AI. He seemed to prefer discussing his thoughts with Karupin than with actual people, trusting his AI to help him. But as usual, he wasn't expecting an answer to such a vague question. "It's time to up the ante, maybe a taste of his own medicine."

The observers watched in anticipation within the confines of Seigaku. Many were glued to the large windows, squinting their eyes to look for the two battling crafts.

"Both are very skilled." Inui commented, just returning from his match. "It's expected from Kaidou but Echizen seems to be doing well. The match has been going on for quite long now."

"It's a battle of wits and patience rather than skills now." Fuji watched as Echizen copied Kaidou's homing shot. It forced Kaidou to pull an emergency evasion move than continuing attack. It was also with that shot that turned the tables around in Echizen's favour.

"But it's strange that Echizen managed to be on par with one of the Regulars. Tezuka, it might not be a bad idea to keep the boy close to us for observation." Inui had been unable to find data on Echizen. The information on the Seigaku database had been minimal and unhelpful. For all they know, Echizen could be a threat rather than help.

Tezuka knew the minute Echizen was introduced to them, trouble might follow. The Regulars may have accepted Echizen but it did not mean everyone trusted the boy. Though Tezuka thinks it was only a matter of time. He had been privy to some of the confidential information about Echizen and he realized why the name was so familiar. Like himself and Fuji, Echizen was one of the so-called 'Protector Families' but unlike them, the Echizens had disappeared some time ago and there were a lot of suspicions within the Force. Tezuka made a note to talk privately to the boy to see what he knew. After all, it was obvious Echizen had been trained since he was young, with the complex moves he is pulling off. In a blink of an eye, Echizen had managed to overcome Kaidou and win the match, even though it lasted for hours.

Instead of dockings his craft in the Seishun Academy docks, he was given access to one of the bays in Seigaku. But once Ryoma disembarked, he knew this was no ordinary dock. The crafts were not the standardized ones he saw a week ago.

"We thought it would be best to put your craft in here with the rest of us." Fuji was once again the one greeting Echizen. "It would be safer for everyone."

Ryoma ignored his sempai and began to walk off. Though Fuji was intent on following him to the lockers.

"It was a great show you put on today. The rest of us watched from the observation platform. I think Inui might have a recording of it…"

Fuji's voice echoed inside the lockers, it managed to filter in through to the showering area. The normal comfort Ryoma would have received was instantly gone as he knew Fuji-sempai would most likely follow him around for the rest of the day. He wondered if it was because they do not trust him and had Fuji-sempai acting as guard. Though he could understand the reason for sending Fuji-sempai, after all, it would be difficult for someone to escape under Fuji's _care_.

"You really shouldn't keep silent Echizen, people would think you're up to something." Fuji just voiced out Echizen's suspicions. He really wasn't trusted within the Seigaku walls. Though not everyone felt animosity towards the boy. Eiji and Momoshiro was quite keen on including Echizen in their hobbies. Oishi and Taka-san was standing neutral, preferring to trust Echizen unless there were reasons not to. To a certain extent, Fuij could see Kaidou having some sort of respect for the young boy, maybe because said boy defeated him. But Inui and Tezuka were hard to convince, even though the latter knew the significance of the name.

"I'm not keeping silent Fuji-sempai. Just tired." Ryoma lied, though he knew it would be easily seen through. What he really wanted to say was he only kept quiet because Fuji did all the talking.


	11. Competition: Day 2

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

11: Competition—Day 2

Ryoma was enjoying his day off. Without a matchup, he ventured out of Seigaku and away from his _stalker_. A week of living on board the ship, he managed to gain Fuji-sempai as his personal stalker. Though it did keep people away, which was a benefit. But it was annoying how his sempai would follow him around, even to the showers. For the past week, he had been _escorting_ him to meals even at Ryoma's insistent refusal. With Fuji-sempai in a matchup in the morning, Ryoma snuck out without much hindrance.

Ryoma's first stop was to find breakfast. He had skipped it to avoid bumping into Fuji-sempai, or the rest of the Regulars for the matter. He knew it was only a matter of time when someone noticed his absence inside the ship. He choose to eat in a nice café inside Seishun Dai, somewhere he knew for certain the Regulars would not look. The rest of the quiet morning was spent wondering around various shops, stopping every now and then for a Ponta break. He was asked to meet up with Ryusaki-sensei in the afternoon, even though he'd rather not. He knew this meeting was inevitable as the Earth's peace hinges in the information he could provide. It was luck that no one in the upper command knew of his existence, else he would not have the time to actually be the kid that his age suggest.

Without thinking, his feet took him to the tennis courts from a week ago. It was still as barren and desolate as the last time he saw it. Ryoma was slightly taken aback when he saw a lone silhouette in the middle of the court. At first glance, he thought it was a ghost, as he was told no one uses or visit the place anymore, but closer inspection, he realized it was a human being. Curiosity got the better of Ryoma as his feet automatically took him closer to the person.

"Is there something I could help you?" The boy, around Ryoma's age asked as he sensed someone approaching.

"I was told no one uses it anymore." Ryoma took time to observe the features of the boy. Short cropped brown hair, dark hazel eyes, scar on forehead and a head taller than Ryoma, he classified the person in front of him to be human and unlikely to be a threat. "Why are you here?"

"Just visiting. I used to live around here with my brother and sister." There was nostalgia in his voice. "We used to play here."

There was a short pause, a comforting silence as memories began to resurface. For Ryoma, it was the relatively peaceful days when he used to challenge his oyaji or aniki to a game. A time where his mother and cousin would sit at the side and watch. The games were never quiet, and even though Ryoma often lose, it was an enjoyable time. But Ryoma knew those times could never return.

"How about a game?" Ryoma asked, spotting a long forgotten ball near the side and an equally disused racket. The other boy had brought along his own, resting against a tree next to a backpack.

"You know how to play?" The boy was sceptical. "Are you any good?"

"You'll see. If I win, you tell me your name. And if you win, I'll tell you mine." Ryoma picked up the disused racket, checking the string's tension and walked to the opposite side of the court.

"How's that suppose to be motivation for a game?" Even though there were slight hesitation in his voice, the boy moved into position. There was no net between the two of them, but they can use the existing poles as indicators.

"If it's not motivation enough, then the loser treats the winner to lunch, how's that?" Ryoma was not a betting type, but a free lunch sounds like a good idea.

"You're on!" The temptation of food was motivation enough for the boy to be fired up. "One set match."

"Since I suggested it, I'll serve." Ryoma smirked. He was going to give his opponent a handicap, but he realized that both of them were left-handed players. An old racket would be handicap enough for this game.

It was a fast-paced game, both not relenting in their attack. Ryoma won the first game within five minutes, only to be outdone by his opponent winning the second game within three minutes. It seems that both players were testing grounds to see how well the other could play. Because of his stature, Ryoma found it slightly annoying he could not reach some of the shots, though he returned in kind with high lobs aiming towards the backline. By the end of the game, both had forgotten why they were playing, both immersed in the joy of returning the opponents shot and strategically aiming to score.

"You're good for someone not using his own equipment." He walked over and stretched out his hands. "I'm Yuuta."

"Ryoma." He did not see the point in introducing himself using his full name.

The two shared a meal in the nearest burger joint, talking about nothing in particular. Yuuta was the one doing most of the talking, after knowing Ryoma just _moved_ to Seishun Dai, he took the liberty to tell Ryoma all about the colony. Before long, Ryoma had to part ways. He had enjoyed the company, and the free food as well seeing as he won the game. Ryoma was tempted to ask where Yuuta is currently staying but he held back, respecting the other's secrecy and privacy.

Inside Seigaku, the Competitions continued. The freshman watched the various matches, mostly crowding around the screens that displayed the Regular's match. Even though they are parked in Seishun Academy, there was still work to be done.

"I wonder where Echizen is." Horio commented as he watched the match between two Seniors in Block D. The Regulars seemed to have all disappeared for the past hour.

"Oi. You freshman are quite studious." Momoshiro approached from behind, having just finished his lunch with Kikumaru-sempai and Oishi-sempai.

"Momoshiro-sempai!" Their voices echoed. "Don't you have a match?"

"I'm done for the day." There was a triumphant smile, "Only tomorrow's matches are left for me. Where's Echizen?"

"We haven't seen him for the whole day. He left early in the morning."

Momoshiro wondered where else could Echizen have gone. He had checked the docks, the training areas, cafeteria, and every other place he could think of. He hoped the boy hadn't gotten lost, Seigaku was not a large ship, there were only so many places a person could go.

"Just the people I've been looking for." Inui and Fuji arrived at the same time. They had been searching for Echizen for quite some time now. It was originally Fuji who wanted to find Echizen for lunch. Fuji bumped into Inui, who was more than happy to help track down the boy.

"If you're looking for Echizen, I haven't seen him."

"It's strange that for someone who's new to the area can suddenly disappear, right Fuji?" Inui had a suspicion that it was the smiling face that scared off Echizen. Maybe they should try looking inside a closet or under the bed next time.

"Well, if he's not here, I guess I'll have to find him before dinner." Fuji sighed dramatically, slightly disappointed but no one bought the act. Inui just noted down some things in his trust notebook, glasses glinting in the soft light. The freshman shivered in the background, eager to leave the place. Maybe they should join Momoshiro-sempai who was leaving for the training centre.

"Fuji, what do you think of our newest additions?" Inui asked, carefully observing the answer. He had attempted to get an opinion out of Tezuka, who apparently knew more about than he let on.

"You mean Echizen?" Fuji knew what Inui was trying to do, but he was currently bored so he decided to entertain the data specialist. "You've asked Tezuka the exact same question right?" Fuji wasn't expecting an answer from Inui but he replied anyways, volunteering information seems to be his character these days.

Inui nodded. "He was reluctant to comment. Though there's distinct interest in his voice even if there were no outward signs. I wasn't able to get more out of him, but I have a feeling you'd know something about Echizen that's not on the database."

"And what good would come out of me telling you? As I remember, you're matched up with Echizen tomorrow afternoon." Fuji was keen on keeping what he knew a secret. It was confidential information that only a selected few knew, which included Ryusaki-sensei because of her role as the supervisor, and both Tezuka and himself because of who their family is.

"Seems like you're as protective as Tezuka is." Inui muttered softly. "Wonder if it's a secret worth keeping…"


	12. Competition: Day 3 & 4

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

12: Competition—Day 3 & 4

The day started off like any other day for Ryoma, though he dearly missed the days when he could wake up late. The morning rush of freshman busying about gathering their belongings and the loud footsteps echoing in the nearby corridor was enough to wake Ryoma up anyhow.

"Ryoma-kun, you're lucky you don't have morning duties today." Kachiro commented, rushing about looking for his shoes. He was half dressed in his uniform and Katsuo was waiting by the doorframe. "Horio, hurry! We'll be late!"

Ryoma yawned, wondering if it was possible to fall back asleep. His match wouldn't start for another two hours but it seems that fate decided to wake him up anyhow.

"Echizen, you still asleep?" Momoshiro was standing by the doorway that his roommates have just exited but a few moments ago. Beside him stood Fuji, Kikumaru and Oishi.

'With you shouting like that, it'll be hard to stay asleep' Ryoma thought to himself as he pulled away the curtains. "No, I'm awake now."

"Good, let's get to breakfast together. You have a morning match right?" Momoshiro stayed clear away from the ladder. Though Echizen jumped down from his bed rather than using the ladder. The four looked in surprise to see someone with such good reflex even though Echizen looked half asleep with his tussled hair and half-lidded eyes.

"You really shouldn't do that." Oishi approached Echizen, intended to reprimand him for the dangerous behaviour. Even though the boy had good reflex and managed to land on his feet, jumping from the top bunk could still cause injury. "It's dangerous, what if you slipped?"

"I'm fine Oishi-sempai, really. I'm used to it already." Ryoma said without thinking. His mind was on autopilot as he took out the necessities and headed for the bathroom.

"I think Ochibi might be a cat in his past life." Eiji whispered to Fuji standing next to him. "He's so hugable and has such good reflex. Or maybe his genes crossed with a feline."

"Then you should try petting him instead of hugging him. Maybe he would purr for you." Fuji smiled, he thought maybe he should carry a camera from this day onwards just to capture the rare moments that Echizen decided to show his _skills_.

Ryoma's morning passed quickly, being led by Fuji from one place to another to look at the various matches taken place. In particular, they had visited Block A just to see a match between the Captain and a Senior. Though from what Ryoma could see, it seemed like a practice match for the Captain. There was a distinct difference in skills and techniques between the Seniors and the Regulars, even though they are nearly the same ages, and some even older.

His afternoon's match was with Inui-sempai and Fuji-sempai was intent on watching it. He had even accompanied Ryoma to the docks to see him off.

"Why is Fuji-sempai following me…" Ryoma complained to Karupin as the start-up sequence began automatically as soon as he touched the controls. "Are they suspecting me to be a spy?"

"Master Ryoma?" Karupin was still a learning AI but she could detect the changes of emotion in her pilot even if she could not understand it.

"Never mind Karupin. Just head over to the coordinates and wait for the signal." Ryoma left everything up to Karupin, his mind was too preoccupied to be doing anything else. And from his past experience, he knew it was a bad idea to head into a battle with a mess of thought. It was dangerous and could easily distract him.

Inui, on the other hand, was well prepared for the match. During his wait on the field, he went through the calculations once more and predicted a ninety percent of success. He had two whole days of data on Echizen, but he still could not shake off the feeling that it might not be enough. It was as though the skills Echizen showed was only a minor part of his repertoire. Inui was determined to see how much more data he could collect on the boy.

With the rest of the Regulars busy with their own matches, it was only Fuji who had the time to watch Echizen's match. He saw the signal to begin as the two crafts began to test the extent of their opponent's skills. It was like watching two animals circling on another and Fuji knew it was most likely Echizen who would start the attack. True to his prediction, Echizen was first to approach Inui's slim craft, attempting to ram itself but on the very last second, Echizen flipped to the side, preparing to fire whatever hidden artillery he had at his disposal. At the same time, Inui had foreseen the action and tiled his craft slightly to avoid being hit. Inui seemed to be playing on the defensive side because he has the ability to correctly predict his opponents action.

As time passed, Ryoma was annoyed at how Inui-sempai managed to evade every single shot. Ever since winning the first game, he had yet to put another point on the scoreboard. On the other hand, Inui-sempai had a total of three points already. Ryoma knew it was time to take away some of the settings that had limited his abilities.

"Remove Level 1." Ryoma called out to Karupin, making sure he wasn't connected to the control room. It would not do to reveal to the others that he had been participating the Competitions with a handicap.

"Level 1 removed. Status locks removed." Karupin repeated. To Ryoma, the controls became slightly lighter, manoeuvrability also increased. He knew that the energy configurations have been altered to give him more speed. However, with only the first level removed, he was still confined to the jet form of his craft.

"Looks like I'll have to up the ante again Inui-sempai." Ryoma was sure his sempai could hear the comment. He could imagine the confusion in his sempai's face. It was a pity that Ryoma was not linked with the other crafts so there was no video feed.

Inui could see the dramatic difference in Echizen's movements. It was faster, more precise. For a moment, Inui was tempted to throw away all the data but he realized it would be a bad course of action so far into the game. He is currently leading the scoreboard 4-1 and it would better to continue with his strategy, using defensive moves to counter Echizen's attack, rather than recollect the data and reanalyze to come up with a new strategy.

Ryoma felt more comfortable with at least one level unlocked. He moved into a closer range of attack, his shots suddenly became more precise as he continuously hit Inui-sempai's craft twice on the right wing. Slowly, he caught up Inui's score 5-5 and at that point, he brought out another move. Ryoma saw how Inui-sempai tried to either block or evade, so he pushed his sempai into the attacking position, forcing him to take the offense. It was a lot harder for Ryoma to attack someone but he liked the challenge. Tailing Inui-sempai through the confined field, he looked for the right opportunity. It was like a game of chase, though it was unclear who is the prey and who is the hunter.

Fuji saw the change in roles from the observation platform. It was amazing to watch Echizen fly his craft, it was like an extension of himself. He wondered if he would have the opportunity to fight Echizen and whether it would bring the same amount of thrill as he was feeling right now. His concentration on the views outside the window was so intense that he did not feel someone approaching from behind.

"Looks like you get your wish after all." Tezuka commented softly, startling Fuji in the process. Tezuka was also taken aback, as he had never seem the look of surprise on Fuji's face before. It seems that young Echizen managed to dig his claws pretty deep into Fuji.

"Then that's good. It would be dull if it weren't the case." Fuji smiled, trying to hid the startled expression. It was nice to know Tezuka would not point out his lack of guard.

"I've received word from Ryusaki-sensei about our next _mission_." From Tezuka's tone, Fuji knew it was not about the mission Seigaku had been scheduled for but rather, the mission handed from the upper echelons of the Force for those belonging to the Protector Families. Fuji frowned, it seems like his time to explore his new found hobby in Echizen needs to be postpone once more.


	13. Mission Start

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

13: Mission Start

"How's the moving going?" Momoshiro leaned on the doorframe in Echizen's room. It had been finalized, moments before they left the Academy, that Echizen would join the ranks of the Regulars. He was also given a room next to Fuji-sempai, which used to be a storage room for the Regulars.

Ryoma groaned, even though there was not much in terms of luggage, it was a pain to having to move rooms twice within the span of a week. He rejoiced in not having to have to share a room anymore, but loathed having to room next to Fuji-sempai and Inui-sempai.

It seems that Momoshiro manage to read some of the expressions on Echizen as he chuckled softly. "That bad huh?"

"You wanted something Momo-sempai?" After Momoshiro's insistence, Ryoma had used the semi-formal title of addressing the older boy, grateful that he did not have to pronounce the mouthful of words.

"We're meeting up at the bridge." Momoshiro waited for a second before leading the way out. For convenience sakes, the Regular's rooms were close to both the bridge of Seigaku and the docks for their crafts.

"Now that the last of us are here, we can get on with business." Ryusaki-sensie's voice sounded from the screen. The only reason they were meeting on the bridge was to be told of their mission. Seigaku had left Seishun Academy a few days ago, after the Competitions have finished, and was now en-route to one of the quadrants under the Seishun jurisdiction. "We've received word of piracy within our jurisdiction boundaries, which I wanted you to investigate. If they are perceived as a threat, you all have the permission to eliminate them immediately."

To Ryoma, it sounded like a warrant for killing on sight, but he did not voice out his opinion. He was grateful that he had been registered on the database to avoid being accidentally shot down.

"You all have your assigned patrolling schedules." Tezuka took over the details of their mission, stating how the name of a rumoured group of pirates to be Fudoumine and continuing on telling them about possible hazards in the area. Rather than sounding like it was a routine patrol, Tezuka's command sounded as though they were heading towards their deaths. "We're expected to arrive in 36 hours, prepare yourselves. Fuji, stay behind."

The rest left their captain the resident tensai on the bridge, preparing to go for a light meal or in Ryoma's case, checking up on his mail. It had been quite some time since he left the colony so his oyaji would have sent something to him. It was a pain acting as a go-between for his wayward father and the Forces. But he realized there was a significant role for the Echizens to play and therefore they would have to remain hidden in the background. Though he did not doubt that some of the Seigaku Regulars may have figured him out already.

As usual, his oyaji's mail started as a set of rambling about how his _cuteness_ is already missed by both himself and his brother. Ryoma had to skip about half of the mail to reach the main point, and even then it wasn't much.

_Seishonen, it seems that there have been a series of disappearance of scientists over at this end. Ryoga had confirmed new satellites being set up, though for what purpose is still unknown. We've also received news about disappearances from the Earth's side. Be wary of project YUME._

Of course, it was all encrypted, coded and hidden within the body mail. It took Ryoma the better part of the morning to decode and decrypt the whole mail file. Afterwards, he found it was really a waste of his time as most of the mail was filled with ramblings.

'I really wish I could whack that oyaji in the head now.' Ryoma thought to himself after reading. He suddenly had the urge to bang his head on the table. 'What does he expect me to do from this end? Fly out and investigate? He didn't even tell me the coordinates!' Ryoma sighed, knowing that planning a mission around this information would be fruitless. He wondered if it was worth reporting back to Ryusaki-sensei.

"As if I don't have enough to worry about as it is." Ryoma murmured out loud into the emptiness of his room, again grateful for the soundproofing and the fact that most of the Regulars are nowhere near their living quarters. "They're already suspicious of me, having Fuji-sempai tailing my every move. They're only a step short of putting me in the holding cells." Ryoma had no idea what warranted the bout of suspicion, he realized he should have paid more attention to the rumour mill.

It was pure luck that none of Regulars broke into his mailboxes to check for suspicious activities. Then again, it might be because of the ridiculous amount of encryption he had imposed, which would take a normal person months to decrypt but with the talents in Seigaku, he had a feeling it would just be several days worth of effort. Just as Ryoma was about to head off for lunch, there was incoming mail from an old friend.

_Ryo,_

_What have you been up to? You've suddenly upped and disappeared! I may be the team leader but you're the field leader. It's hard enough getting those idiots to listen to me in the briefing room, it's harder to do so without your menacing presence. Though why would they find a teen menacing is beyond me, but I shouldn't say that since I'm the same as you._

_You better come back quick before I go search for you._

_Kevin S._

Ryoma smiled at the mail, happy for some odd reason. Knowing that he was wanted and missed was a feeling he had never experienced before. Though, his oyaji had said it in his mail, but he had joked around with that statement all too often for it to be considered seriously.

Back on the bridge, things were quite different. Oishi had stayed to talk about their newest addition, hoping to deter Fuji from further actions on the boy.

"Tezuka, was it really necessary to put Fuji on his case?" He asked, acknowledging that although there is a need to investigate their newest, they should also give him some space to breath. Oishi had seen the coldness portrayed by Echizen in their presence and he had a feeling he only put up that front for them.

"It's unfortunate that we have to do that." Tezuka sighed, not knowing how to justify his gut feeling of something being off with Echizen. "It's abnormal to have someone so new yet so skilled."

"Our dear Captain is only doing it for the security of the ship." Fuji smiled encouragingly. Though it did not start of as an order from Tezuka, rather it was because of his own interest in the boy that led him to follow up and scour for information.

"I had Fuji because it was the best fit for the job." It was strange to Tezuka to have to explain his actions. But his vice-captain deserves to know. "No one had been able to find anything on Echizen, that is enough to warrant surveillance."

"But in the end, Ryusaki-sensei told Echizen's Intel. It should be enough if she vouches for him." Oishi did not like how Echizen was being treated. In his eyes, he was still a child. And since they all know Echizen to be New Human, it shouldn't be that surprising for him to have such skills.

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Tezuka said with such finality that OIshi had no choice but to leave the matter. He was not happy, but there was nothing he could do about it but let time clear up the suspicions.

"Fuji, with the other _mission_…" Tezuka continued after he was sure Oishi had left the vicinity. "There's been some strange occurrences within the quadrant we're heading."

"I've heard." Fuji confirmed, seemingly to have read Tezuka's mind. "Disappearances, strange lights, and ghost ships. There were also rumours of satellite colonies appearing and disappearing overnight."

"We're asked to investigate them. I've arranged so you have the night shifts, it'll be easier to move around. If you spot the satellites or ships, board and investigate. The higher-ups thinks this may be a plot."

"How many have we had so far? Every time they sent for the two of us, it's been one suspected plot after the next. And none of them had any evidence of truth." It was not Fuji's nature to complain, but ever since they have taken up position as Regulars, the whole crew were sent to dangerous quadrants because of suspected movements that require Fuji's or Tezuka's presence. Both had not minded, but it brings new risks for the crew.

"We're born into the position, it is a responsibility we have to take. There are not many of us out there trained from the beginning to deal with these threats." Tezuka sighed, not that he doubted the talents on his crew but there are some things that requires training from childhood. The threats of Aliens, though known to many, is a difficult to deal with. They have superior skills and sense whereas New Humans' senses are only heightened and skills/techniques are still learnt rather than inherited. The Aliens had strong self-motivation; their _leader_ had imbedded the thought of their race being superior and should therefore dominate over the other species. On the good side, the Aliens do not have enough manpower to progress in their plans. But Tezuka knew it was only a matter of time. He also knew that not all Aliens thought alike but it was difficult to pick out the good from the bad. That thought forced a change in the role that the Protector Families play. Rather than protecting Earth, it was now about eliminating threats—namely the Aliens.

Fuji sighed, knowing how true that statement was. His older sister was placed in an outlaying colony to monitor strange movements and eliminate those closest to the Earth's colonies. When he was young, Fuji had often wondered how the same species of being—with both New Human and Aliens stemming from the original man—can suddenly split so drastically that caused the two races not being able to live together. Now, Fuji knew it was human nature to act in such a way, to discriminate those of the same blood or physical feature. How he sometimes loathed the human thinking, he could not understand how one race could perceive itself the better of the other. Then again, human nature does have an effect.

"What about Echizen?" Fuji wondered aloud, knowing full well that Tezuka would most likely keep the boy busy on those night shifts where he was away. "Are you sure you want without surveillance?"

"It might be worth noting how he would act without your presence. He's been very closed and the information I got from Ryusaki-sensei was not enough to give him full freedom to roam about. Maybe Oishi does have a point."

"It's very unlike you to say that." Fuji teased. He was the only one who could get away from such an act. "But since you're the captain, whatever you say, goes." He headed out, intent for lunch, with a smile on his face. It was the kind of smile that says 'I know something you don't know', the kind that Tezuka loves and hates to see. Briefly, Tezuka wondered what pieces of the puzzle he was missing then he realize he might have one too many pieces.

'Maybe it's not because I don't have enough information in Echizen Ryoma.' Tezuka thought to himself as he stared out of the large window from his seat. 'Maybe I have too much information, some invalid information may have leaked in…'

Slowly and carefully, Tezuka recall the information. He was told Echizen was from an outlaying colony, that he was a New Human, that he was trained by a skilled pilot—most likely an ex-pilot from the Forces, and that Echizen did not originate from Earth. There were other implied information, Echizen's personal information suddenly appearing on the database meant he had not existed until days before they met, which also meant he had some linkages with those higher up in the hierarchy. Ryusaki-sensei had told him about Echizen as a person, a character, but nothing about his heritage. She mentioned something about Echizen being a private person, similar to Tezuka, and a whole lot of unrelated childhood events that led him to live in the outlaying colonies.

'Maybe I'm just over thinking Fuji's reaction…' For some reason, Tezuka had a feeling he had been played by the tensai.


	14. Conversations

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

14: Conversations

"Oishi…Oishi…" Eiji's voice cackled through the speakers. "Oishi, are you feeling ok?"

"Huh?" Oishi snapped from his internal thoughts. His mind still back to the day on the bridge, the confrontation with Tezuka and Fuji. "What was it?"

"I ask if you were ok. You've been in a daze for two days." There was worry in Eiji's voice. The mood of his partner had affected him a great deal.

"I'm fine Eiji." Oishi wondered if it was fine to lie to his partner.

"Are you sure…" Eiji was doubtful but decided to trust his partner to be able to find a cure for whatever that is bothering him. "I know! Let's ask Fuji! He'll be able to solve your problem!" Fuji and Eiji had been friends ever since they started the Academy training. They have a very deep friendship that allows them to share all sorts of secrets and trusts the other to watch their backs. It was because of this trust, that Eiji thought Fuji would be the solution to Oishi's problem, because he knew his friend would help him to his utmost.

Oishi was happy for his partner's input but at the same time knew that it was impossible to ask Fuji for help. It had concerned him after all. He wondered if it was even possible to pry Fuji off Echizen. The tensai must have a personal interest in the boy or he would not have followed him ever since they have met all those weeks ago. It was Fuji's nature to follow the orders, literally to the letter, either when said orders capture his _personal_ attention or if there would be dire consequences for his lack of action.

"I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Um…Kikumaru-sempai, Oishi-sempai…" A third voice, Echizen's, came through the speaker. It startled both people currently on the line.

"Echizen?" Both asked simultaneously. It seems that partnership and synchronization was not restricted to battle manoeuvres.

"You might want to switch to another channel. You're broadcasting." Ryoma had found it weird to have the conversation leaking through his headset. He had checked all the panels and found it was not because of the equipment failure, but his sempai's carelessness.

"Ah! Must have hit the wrong button." Eiji realized that in his haste to find out what was wrong with his partner, he used the wrong communication channels.

"Echizen, are you the only one in the control room?" Oishi had thought it was Inui's shift.

"Momo-sempai and Kaidou-sempai are busy with the training programs, Kawamura-sempai is in the kitchens helping out. Fuji-sempai disappeared somewhere an hour or so ago so no one else was free to take over the controls." Ryoma sighed, he had been dragged out of his room early this morning because it was policy to have at least one Regulars inside the control room at all times during their patrol. Yawning and wishing for something stronger than the bottle of water sitting next to him, he typed a few more commands on his laptop as he listened to the various reports from the patrolling agents.

"Where's Inui then?"

"There was a sudden bout of food poisoning or something. Inui-sempai had to look into it." Ryoma's yawn could be heard through the speakers. It was loud and long, giving the distinct impression of the lack of sleep.

"Ochibi, are you falling asleep at the panels?"

"Did you even get any sleep Echizen?" Oishi was always worry about the wellbeing of his teammates. With a workaholic captain, a sadistic genius, an overactive partner, an experimental maniac, and a pair of continuously arguing and fighting rivals, there were always accidents and injuries among the regulars. Though a majority was mental stress and fatigue. He wondered if it was possible for any of them to behave normally, without all the uniqueness.

Ever since Ryoma was assigned as a Regular, he had also been given the task of managing the maintenance and mechanics of both Seigaku and the crafts on board. In other words, Ryoma had the wonderful job of making sure everything works. It would not have been a problem if the ship was not so big or had that many crafts on board.

"I did sleep." Mentally Ryoma added 'two hours before someone suddenly blew air into my ear to wake me up.' He silently cursed Fuji-sempai for the wakeup call and moaned at the still remaining heap of work set by Tezuka-buchou. The captain had implied to Ryoma to run an overhaul on the Regular's crafts.

"We'll come back in now to take over so you can rest." Being the ever so considerate person Oishi was, he opted to take a double shift of work rather than to have their newest addition suffer.

"I'm fine Oishi-sempai. Fuji-sempai should be coming back in soon. You still have your work and Tezuka-buchou would ask why you'd rather cut of your patrol just to come back in. And I for one would not like to answer that question." He remembered hearing Momoshiro muttering something about laps, Inui-juices and contesting the captain's orders.

"Alright. Take it easy though." Oishi knew there was nothing he could do for the boy right now.

"Hey Ochibi! I'll let you in on a secret." There was a mysterious air in Eiji's voice, but it was playful at the same time. "There's a secret stash of goodies in the lower drawers near the control panel. Since the Regulars have duties so often, we filled it with all sorts of snacks! Feel free to take some, but not too much ok?"

Ryoma proceeded to reach over to the said drawer and pulled it open. For a split second, he felt like a kid in a candy store so to speak. At least he could keep himself awake for slightly longer with some sustenance. As he selected a packet of chips, Kikumaru-sempai gave a running commentary in the background.

"Ah," Fuji's voice came from the doorway, startling Echizen, "sorry about not coming earlier. There's been a bit of a problem." Fuji's apologies did not sound as sincere as the words he used.

"Fuji!" Kikumaru was, for some odd reason, ecstatic. "Ochibi was getting bored and sleepy! You should have kept him company!"

Oishi had wanted to add his reprimand to Fuji but stopped himself. It seems that Eiji and Fuji was quite content in chatting through the radio even though the two of them had work to be done.

Ryoma half listened to the conversation taking place, absentmindedly reached for the packet of open chips every now and then, but focusing all his efforts on decrypting the blueprints on his laptop. It wasn't as though it was coded, the blueprints were hard to understand because of the numerous revisions to it done by a variety of people. Ryoma realized that the Seigaku fleet is like a testing ground for the Force's newest technologies. There was the good side, which is that they get all the new stuff, but the bad side was that new technologies were often buggy. Ryoma sighed, wondering if all of the other fleets of the Academies were testing grounds as well.

Suddenly, there was silence in the control room. Checking the various panels and screens, Ryoma saw nothing was wrong with the instruments but the silence felt unnatural.

"Don't worry about it Echizen." Fuji said in a calm voice. "It happens every now and then."

Ryoma thought for a while, wondering if it was because of the incompatibility between the crafts and the Seigaku system. He heaved an internal sigh, though barely noticeable. 'Great, more work. Bringing them all under the same system would be a pain.' Ryoma thought to himself as he estimated the time required to do such a large project. 'I'm not being paid enough.'

"I see you're being sneaky." Fuji said all of a sudden, reaching over from behind Echizen and effectively trapping the said boy in his chair. There was the barest look of panic on Echizen's face, which made Fuji smile even brighter. Fuji snaked a hand into the packet of chips on the controls. "You've managed to find the last packet."

Ryoma heaved a sigh of relief. He thought Fuji had noticed the hidden window on his laptop's screen, one which contained confidential information stored on the Seigaku network.

"Is something wrong Echizen?" Fuji noticed how Echizen relaxed. He was not about to rat the boy out just yet. He suspected Echizen to be working on more than just the tasks set by Tezuka. Though he wondered why their captain allowed their newest member to have access to such critical information. Although the two suspect they know the loyalties of Echizen, there was still a slight chance of Echizen turning their back on them.

"Nothing." Ryoma said in a bored voice once more.

"Why don't you take a rest for a while, I'll take over the controls." Fuji offered with a smile. Although Echizen knew it was more like a command rather than a suggestion, but he was not going to oppose anyways.


	15. Trapped

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

15: Trapped

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto." Eiji said through the radio. The screens on their crafts suddenly went black and their communication was cut off from the Seigaku main ship.

"What are you talking about Eiji? Why are you quoting old movies?" Oishi wondered if it was smart to let Eiji watch the movie marathon last week. His partner has been recreating movie scenes ever since.

Oishi remembered his craft suddenly stopped. He had a brief thought that he might have passed out for a while but being alone in a black, silent cockpit could put that thought into anyone's head. It was strange for Oishi to be suddenly cut off from Eiji's presence but he was relieved as soon as he hear Eiji's voice.

"Oishi, can you see anything from your craft?" Eiji had just managed to turn the screens back on. There was barely any light to allow Eiji to see anything beyond 5 meters. From what he could make out, they were in a dock of some sort. There was a metallic platform directly in front. It seems that in the time their crafts had blacked out, it had parked itself.

"There's nothing identifiable from my view."

"Let's go out and explore then!" Eiji said enthusiastically.

"Wait, Eiji!" Oishi could hear the distinctive sounds of the cockpit being opened and the rustling of the hyperactive teen scrambling out of his seat. "What if it was dangerous?"

"Everything's going to be fine! There's probably no one."

True, the first thing Oishi checked was for life in the immediate area, but he could not pick up any signs. But that still does not mean it would be safe to start exploring.

"Oishi, hurry!" Eiji called impatiently. Oishi knew the boy would be standing right outside his craft if he had cared to look. So, throwing all caution into the wind, and deciding to listen to his heart instead of his brain for once, he unstrapped himself and stepped outside. Oishi was pleasantly surprised that oxygen was still available at the place.

"See, no harm!" Eiji said proudly, leading the way from the metallic platform to a concealed doorway. "It's going to be fun!"

Oishi spotted a small light above a panel next to the doorway out of the silent docks. Eiji touched the pad without hesitation. The next few seconds seems like hours as both waited for the system to respond. They were in luck as the system responded positively, the light blinked several times then with a whoosh, the doors in front of them slid open to reveal a brightly lit corridor.

"Ooo, automated lighting!" Eiji noticed how the lights would turn on when neared a certain section. "At least it seems the system here still function, so what do you think? A ship or a colony?"

"Probably a colony." Oishi's guess came from instincts. The internal structure had a more spacious feel to it. Oishi decided it was probably ok for them to be wonder through the place seeing as there are no immediate threats. Tezuka did ask for them to be on the lookout for anything strange after all. However, he wondered if those back at Seigaku might worry seeing as their communication was cut suddenly.

"Yo Echizen!" Momoshiro called from the doorway. Again, it was Echizen sitting by the control panels. "Where's Fuji-sempai? Isn't he suppose to be with you on the watch?"

"Right behind you Momo-sempai." Ryoma turned around just in time to see the elder smiling.

"Uh.. hey, I'm just here to take over the shift. You might want to grab something to eat or something…"

Ryoma was more than happy to leave the control room. Gathering his things, he slowly walked out of the room, only to suddenly realize he was shadowed once again by Fuji-sempai.

"Is something on your mind Echizen?" Fuji leaned over Echizen's shoulder, startling the boy in the process.

Ryoma was unaccustomed to close proximity. He fought back the urge to jump back from the smiling face.

"Not much." He replied monotonously. His voice not betraying his curiosity at the sudden disappearance of Oishi-sempai and Kikumaru-sempai. He had been trying to figure out how both the communication and locator of his sempai's craft were cut at the same time.

"If you're wondering about Oishi and Eiji," Fuji said, seemingly read Echizen's thoughts, "they are scheduled to come back from their patrol in an hour or so. You want to check up after lunch?"

"You make it sound like a date Fuji-sempai." Ryoma could not help but point it out, knowing full well that his statement would be taken advantage of.

"Then it's a date." Fuji put on a smile as he suggested. "We'll have lunch then a nice quiet walk together and finally we'll check up on Oishi and Eiji and see what they're up to. How does that sound?"

Ryoma wondered if he would still be alive if he said no or gave some sort of negative response. Consciously, he weighed the pros and cons of his possible action and decided that he wanted to live slightly longer. He nodded, which elicit a wider smile on Fuji-sempai's face.

Lunch was a strange affair for Ryoma for Fuji-sempai sat opposite from him, stared at Ryoma during the whole meal. Though how could Ryoma feel as though he was being stared at when the owner of the stare had his eyes closed. The only good outcome was the chance to enjoy another Japanese meal. It seems that whenever Kawamura-sempai was in the kitchen, the menu would take a turn for Japanese. But that was to be expected from a Sushi chef's son.

As promised, Fuji led Echizen the long route towards the docks, taking their time and _enjoying_ the walk. Fuji led them through the quiet, less used corridors. On several occasion, Fuji noticed Echizen heave a sigh of exasperation.

"I thought you might want some exercise after being cooped up in the control room for the whole morning." Fuji said with a hint of consideration.

'What I want is to go somewhere quiet without you in the immediate vicinity.' Ryoma thought to himself. He had always preferred to lay about doing nothing after lunch but ever since Fuji-sempai had followed him around, it was impossible to do so.

"It is quite a disappointment that I couldn't join you for dinner tonight." Fuji's words lit a flame of hope in the golden eyes. "Would you be missing me?"

"Why would I?" Ryoma replied, glad that for one night he would be able to enjoy a dinner without the intense look from the tensai. 'For once, maybe I can have a dinner in comfort rather than having to watch out for my food being spiked.' Ryoma still remembered the incident where Momo-sempai made a seemingly innocent comment that was a tad bit too personal to Fuji-sempai. The very next second, Momo-sempai found himself in desperate search of water. Ryoma now know better than to leave his food unguarded in the presence of Fuji-sempai.

"Oh Echizen, I'm hurt." Fuji said mockingly, placing a hand over his chest. "There's someone else other than me who could occupy your time."

'If only I can really hurt you.' Ryoma thought, glad to be finally outside the doors to the docks. But inside was not what he had expected. Gathered around the central walkway were the rest of the regulars. It seems that Momo-sempai had been called out from his post in the control room. Ryoma realized something serious must have happened as the aura around Fuji-sempai intensified.

"Fuji, Echizen." Inui glanced back towards the pair who just entered. "The two of you were last in contact with Kikumaru and Oishi right?"

"Did something happen to the two of them?" Fuji answered instead. He was the one last speaking with Eiji on the radio.

"They haven't reported in. We haven't be able to locate them either. Kikumaru might have forgotten but Oishi is not the type to let us worry." Worry was evident in Captain's voice, once again confirming Ryoma's suspicion that underneath the stern exterior lies a caring heart. "Echizen, did you notice anything in particular in their transmission?"

"Nothing except from the white noise in the background." He stated, realizing he should have said something in the first place when his sempai had suddenly disappeared off the radar.

"Inui, go over the transmission recordings again."

"I'll check if it managed to pick up something and I'll check over their locators." Inui nodded and walked briskly out of the docks.

"Momoshiro, go back to the control room with Kaidou and keep an eye out."

"Why am I stuck with the Viper?" Momoshiro muttered underneath his breath, too soft to be heard by Tezuka but just loud enough for Kaidou to pick up.

"It's not as though I'm liking this stupid Peach."

"What was that Viper? Dare to repeat that again?"

"You're stupid, admit it!" The statement was quickly followed by a hiss.

"Why the heck am I the stupid one when you're much stupider!" Momoshiro shouted, earning a tense gaze from Tezuka.

"Momo, Kaidou." Fuji warned the pair softly as soon as he saw the small twitch on Tezuka's eyebrows. But his warnings were not heard as the argument between pair escalated to throwing insults and name calling.

"Momoshiro, Kaidou." Tezuka's strong voice reverberated in the enclosed area. It captured the arguing pair's attention immediately. There was a deer-in-the-headlights look on both their faces, though Kaidou's expression was more hidden.

"20 laps."

"Hai!" The two voices replied in sync, though they glared at one-another the second afterwards. Another stern gaze from their captain deterred a possible argument.

'Why must these two always argue.' Tezuka thought to himself, slightly tired of the situation. The arguments were getting more repetitive and annoying as the year passed. 'I probably should find Inui to watch over the pair.'

"There, there." Fuji approached Tezuka, patting the captain on his back to comfort him. Any other person doing it would have earned them a set of undeterminable amount of laps. But Fuji seems to be the only one who could approach the stern captain without repercussions. Unfortunately, their interactions were not missed by Echizen who looked on with wide eyes. Heaving another sigh, Tezuka wondered if he really had angered the gods to deserve such a fate of being the captain to this crew.

"The two of you should suit up and be on standby. I've called back all other patrolling agents, the two of you should go out asap and look for signs."


	16. The Search

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

16: The Search

"Fuji-sempai, Echizen, ready when you are." Momoshiro's voice came through the speakers. Ryoma replied without thinking as he continued with his system check. He heard Fuji-sempai replied in kind.

"Fuji, Echizen, I have narrowed the search to three possible areas, taking into account the possible black spots of our system. Radio in frequently." Accompanying Inui's voice were a set of coordinates, all of which quite some ways away from their current location.

"It looks like we can extend our date right Echizen?" Ryoma could picture his sempai's face. It was fortunate that he still wasn't fully hooked up to the Seigaku communication system, at least he was spared from the spine shivering smile on Fuji-sempai's face.

'I wonder if I'll be considered an enemy if I _accidentally_ shot Fuji-sempai.' Ryoma inputted a few more commands to set the coordinates. 'Why did buchou pair me up with him…on second thought, it might be better than being paired with Momo-sempai, at least it's harder to screw up this way.'

"Do you remember the last location of Eiji and Oishi?" Fuji asked as soon as they exited the docks. "Checking the coordinates nearest to their last known locations might give us a better indication."

Ryoma looked at the map displayed on his screen, trusting Karupin to keep the craft flying safe. "That would be the second set of coordinates." Ryoma was sure after seeing the visual.

"We'll check that area first before heading over to the other two Inui." Apparently Fuji-sempai was broadcasting the conversation instead of the closed link.

Little did Fuji and Ryoma knew that Oishi and Kikumaru are actually way out of Inui's predictions.

"Ne, ne Oishi." Eiji waved Oishi over to the nearest window. It seems Oishi was right in assuming they were inside a colony.

The window overlooked into the colony, allowing the bystander to take in the wonders of the settlement. Unlike Seishun Dai, this colony had a country feel to it, where instead of medium height buildings, the land had few, scattered ground level houses. In between the houses were plots of farmland and a small forest stood on the outer edge. There was not much landscape to the area, only a paved bitumen road leading to all the housing and a small town some ways off. From where Oishi and Eiji stood, they could clearly see the place had been deserted for quite some time as the land lay barren from neglect.

"I wonder what happened here." Oishi thought out loud. "The place has to be abandoned for at least half a decade."

"Probably because there isn't much to do here. Look, there's only a small shopping strip and the rest is country nya~"

"How come we never came across this colony during out patrol?" This place was clearly within the jurisdiction of the Seigaku but neither had ever seen this place before. Oishi would have remembered because he had often enjoyed the atmosphere of the countryside. "Let's go look at the main controls, see if we can find anything." He suggested, walking away from the windows.

"But there could be some food in the small town over there." At the exact moment, both stomachs growled. It was pass lunch time, and pass the time for their scheduled return. But Oishi felt if they left this colony now, they might never find it again. They have to take this opportunity to investigate the place. "Come on Oishi, let's find some food!"

"I might have some power bars back in the craft if you're really hungry Eiji."

"No, no! This is fate telling us to go explore! And we should do that!"

Oishi resigned to the fate, willingly being led by Eiji towards the elevator down to the colony. The view from the ground is not that much different to the view from the windows. The air was still, the place was silent and the only movement around was by the dust which the pair kicked up as they walked through the empty streets. They entered the first house on the street, which was barely furnished inside. They trudged through the living room laid with wooden floorboards and a dusty old couch, noticing that there were still a few picture frames left on the mantel. Inside the kitchen, Eiji opened one of the cupboards and peered inside, sneezing as he did so. There were a few cans, covered with layers of dust, but Eiji was not hungry enough to risk his stomach on possibly expired foodstuff.

"Unya~ let's go somewhere else. There's nothing here to eat." Just then, Eiji spotted something moving outside the kitchen window. For a split second, he thought he saw a shadow disappearing behind a tree. "Ne Oishi…" Eiji called, expecting his partner to find him soon.

Oishi, on the other hand, was exploring the upper bedrooms. There were signs that people used to live here, at least a family of five, but exactly as Oishi suspected, the family disappeared. The clothes were still in the wardrobe, mementos were still sitting on various surfaces gathering dust but there were no signs of the family members packing up to leave their homes, which seemed strange for Oishi. He opened another door, leading this time to a study area filled with bookshelves, and Oishi marvelled at the collection of books. Blowing away some of the dust, he saw most of the titles were on history and mythologies. As he reached to flip through what seemed to be a fragile book, he heard Eiji called from downstairs. Without hesitation, he sprinted down the stairs and nearly tripped on one of the broken steps.

"What's wrong Eiji?" Although his partner's voice did not sound distressed, Oishi could not help but feel something was out of place on this colony.

"I think we're not the only ones here." Eiji pointed at the direction where he last saw the shadow disappeared off to. "I saw something moving outside, I think it might be human."

"If someone's trapped here, we should go and help them." Oishi walked to the backdoor, but not before checking to see if he was armed. Although he never liked to use the weapon, it was better to be safe than sorry in this situation. "We're not here to hurt you." He called out into the garden, hoping for a reply.

"I think whatever that was here left…" Eiji glanced around the empty garden, which he assumed to be a vegetable patch before neglect.

"Eiji, do you remember seeing a city square near here?"

"Should be down the road from here. Why Oishi?"

"There might be a bunker or something hidden beneath the surface. Or at least we can get access to the main system to the colony. Either way, it'll give us some idea of what's happened."

"I thought you weren't into the idea of exploring this place." Eiji pounced onto Oishi from the back, eliciting a blush on Oishi's face.

"Eiji…" Slightly embarrassed, he walked down the road with Eiji still attached onto him. However, Oishi could not see the sly smile on Eiji's face. It was always interesting for Eiji to see Oishi's reaction to his sudden hugs.

Out in the emptiness of space, Ryoma and Fuji arrived at the last known spot of the missing duo. They made periodic reports back to Inui, just in case the same thing happened to them as well. Though it was mostly Fuji-sempai who contacted the Seigaku.

"Ne Echizen, something caught you interest?" Fuji did not receive any reply for a few minutes and decided to take some drastic measure. He took the time to reconfigure his craft's communication system to allow for a video feed. "You seemed distracted Echizen."

Ryoma was surprised to see a small window popping up and displaying the face of Fuji-sempai. 'Is he that bored?' Ryoma thought to himself, it must have taken the elder boy a lot of effort to connect the two incompatible crafts together.

"Saa, Echizen, I can see you're still there. It's impolite to stay silent when someone asks you a question." Ryoma was lucky that he could not see his sempai clearly or he would have shuddered once again at the disturbing smile on Fuji's face.

"There's nothing catching my interest Fuji-sempai." Ryoma looked away from the chat window and pretended to be focused on another set of screens that displayed all sorts of statistical reading. 'Nothing that catches my interest but something that caught my annoyance.' He thought silently as he noticed some anomaly on his screen.

"Then maybe we should head over to our next destination. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get back and carry on with what we wanted to do."

'What did he mean by _carry on with what we want to do_? I wanted to have some alone time, but no doubt you want to continue to stalk me.' Ryoma had disposed the idea of Fuji shadowing him for protection and security and elevated it to an action of stalking.

"Unless you'd rather prefer the two of us out here alone…" There was a suggestive tone in Fuji's voice, one that Ryoma decidedly to ignore.

'Should I tell or should I not tell…' He questioned himself. Ryoma only saw the anomaly for a second before it disappeared and that didn't happen within the immediate proximity, it was showing readings from outside of Inui's prediction.

"Saa, you're giving me the silent treatment again Echizen. Maybe I should give you a lesson on manners and respect."

"It's not that Fuji-sempai." The decision was taken out of Ryoma's hands as he decided telling the senior the possible location of the missing duo that was outside Inui-sempai's prediction was better than risking his own sanity and mentality. "There's something else." Ryoma hoped it would deter Fuji-sempai from doing anything strange when they get back to the Seigaku.

"Pray tell." Fuji was patient. The lesson he learnt from the past few days of shadowing Echizen was that all it takes for the young boy to talk was some motivation, either through Inui juice or his subtle persuasions.

"I think they might be here." Ryoma sent over the readings he received, hoping Fuji-sempai could make heads or tails out of the situation.

"Although Inui's predictions have never been wrong before, there's always a first time." Looking at the information over he nodded and indicated they should probably head over to these set of coordinates. It was pretty close and they would not stray too far away.

"Shouldn't we call back first?" Ryoma suggested. Although he was confident they would not run into much trouble, he did not feel safe with just Fuji-sempai watching his back. 'I think it might be more dangerous rather than safe, even though I've been told he's the second best on Seigaku.'

"I've already sent a message back to Seigaku control room. They'll know we're investigating the area."

Ryoma sighed, he was hoping that someone else might come and join them so he wouldn't have to be stuck, alone, with Fuji-sempai. 'If only…' He thought dimly and wondered if he was heading towards his doom.


	17. Sudden Encounter

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

17: Sudden Encounter

"Hoi?" Eiji looked at the strange panel set up in front of a large statue of a man stepping on a stack of books, holding a staff on his left land and a candle stick on his right. He could not recognize the inscription on the plaque nor the symbols on the waist high panel.

"That should be the access controls to the colony's internal system. I wonder if the communications are back on." Oishi took out his communicator but there were no signals. He tried several times to connect to the Seigaku network but found it fruitless. "Looks like we'll have to figure this out on our own." He sighed. Between the two of them, they had limited knowledge and ability in decoding the strange language.

"Where's Inui when you need him nya?" Eiji sighed, looking forlornly around his surroundings. Oishi was busy trying to figure out how to work the controls and Eiji had nothing better to do. He walked a around the statue, taking in the sight of how light was absorbed into the statue. There were little tuffs of grass growing at the bottom but otherwise, it looked like any other city square. There were benches, dead vegetation and paths leading to the central statue. Out of amusement, Eiji jumped onto the statue to get a better view of the area. There really is not much to see or do in the area. Quietly, he sat on the limited empty space offered by the statue's platform and waited patiently for Oishi to finish.

Oishi furrowed his brows, he recognized some of the symbols but was not quite sure what they meant. Randomly, he touched several symbols, hoping it would react. Unfortunately, it yielded no result. Oishi sighed, to which Eiji jumped down from his sitting position.

"Don't mind, don't mind." Eiji patted on his back. "Maybe I should give it a try." He too randomly pressed on a few symbols. Careful not to repeat the same sequence.

"Eiji!" Oishi felt the ground beneath him rumble and pulled Eiji back just in time for the ground to split open.

The ground open up to a dark passage, a set of steps leading to nowhere. Out of impulse, Eiji kicked a small stone close by and heard the said stone tumble down. The sound grew softer as the moments went by but the stone did not seem to have hit the bottom.

"Looks like we got lucky!" Eiji waited until the dust settled before venturing towards the set of staircase leading below ground. He rummaged around his pockets to look for a torch.

"The lighting system's not working, it's most likely that this would be the emergency entrance to an escape hatch or something similar." Oishi commented, noting how the lighting system had yet to come on inside.

"But it'll still lead into the main system right?" Eiji looked back at Oishi's concerned expression. "Well, we've come this far so let's just carry on!" Pulling gently on Oishi's sleeve, he held onto the hand in a firm grip and started walking down the staircase without hesitation.

"Wait Eiji, maybe it'll be better if we went back up to our ships and try to contact the other's first…" Oishi's suggestion was not heard as Eiji tugged harder on his hand.

"What's the fun then?" Eiji smiled happily, not at all disturbed by the darkness of the corridor. His vision allowed him to see clearly the corridor's internal structure. The walls were exactly the same as those they've seen in the docks, the floors were solid metal as well. He could faintly see where the lights should be and located a few hidden doorways.

Oishi briefly wondered if the corridor would end. Spending minutes in this darkness can give a person a sense of insecurity. No matter how well trained a person was, being isolated from the light is never a good feeling and is difficult to cope. But for Oishi, having Eiji by his side makes a large difference. He reminded himself he was not alone in this and tightened his hold on Eiji.

"Who goes there?" The two of them froze in place as they heard a deep voice from behind them. The pair took a reflexive step backwards, distancing themselves from the voice. The metallic walls allowed the voice to echo in the corridor, making it difficult for them to pinpoint the location of the voice. Even with Eiji's perfect vision, it was a difficult task.

"What should we do Oishi?" Eiji whispered directly into Oishi's ear.

The pair remained standing, cautious that one mistake may cost them their lives.

Simultaneously, Fuji and Echizen heard the same statement and they too remained as still as possible.

"Well, it's really impolite to not introduce yourselves first before asking others." Fuji commented as he carefully surveyed their inquisitor. The craft directly in their line of sight was pitch black, with no identifiable symbols or markings on the hull.

"Identify yourselves." From what the two could make it, it was a synthesized voice instead of a human voice speaking to them.

"We're from the Earth's Force Seigaku fleet." Fuji paused for a dramatic effect, though he was expecting none. "We've identified this area to be of suspicion, we would appreciate your cooperation in this matter."

"There's no evidence that you are who you say you are, surrender to us now or we will use force."

"Saa, Echizen, it seems they won't listen. There's a very high chance of Oishi and Eiji being near this area…"

"What do you want me to do Fuji-sempai?" Ryoma was never one to defer to ranks but this situation calls for his obedience to orders and ranks.

"The Seigaku have been notified, most likely they'll be sending someone over." Fuji looked at his screens again, wondering if this silence might provoke their possible opponents. "For now, it'll be better to sit and wait it out. Unless you have other ideas?"

Ryoma silently wondered how long they will have to wait until backup arrives and whether or not the backup would be in time to gather up their remains.

"GREAT-O!" A loud shout nearly deafened Ryoma as he winced and hastily readjusted the volume.

"Taka-san, good timing." Fuji said in a softer voice. Their opponent's crafts parted as Kawamura's bulky craft zipped into the area.

"NO WORRIES!" Kawamura shouted in English. "I'M COMING TO THE RESCUE."

Ryoma was stunned at how the normally timid chef turned into a fierce warrior within such a short span of time. Though he was silently wondering if everyone on Seigaku, himself not included, had a psychological problem.

"Now that Taka-san is here, why don't you explore this area a bit?" To Ryoma, Fuji-sempai sounded like a parent who was just waiting for a babysitter. "I'm sure you'll find something to capture your interest…"

"You sound as though you don't want me to find anything." Ryoma replied, paying careful attention to the field to look for the chance to sneak away.

"I generally prefer partners who are devoted."

'Possessive sadist.' Ryoma thought to himself as he put some distance between him and his sempais.

"THIS IS EXCITING!" Another shout and Ryoma had to suffer ringing in his ears for another few minutes. "LEAVE THIS TO ME."

Ryoma was not sure what he heard, but he suspected it was the cue for him to leave. Hoping that this did not count as abandoning his allies, Ryoma sped off in the direction of the recorded anomaly.

'Be safe sempai-tachi.' Ryoma prayed silently, wishing for their safety. On second thought, it might have been wiser to wish for the opponents' sanity seeing as fighting Fuji-sempai would leave them scarred. "Karupin."

"Yes Master Ryoma." There was a pause in the AI's response. "Probes dispatch to continually monitor the battle."

At times like now, Ryoma was grateful to have a smart AI and was surprised at how fast it was learning. But on second thought, he was the one who built it so he was only congratulating himself.


	18. Rescue

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

18: Rescue

The closer Ryoma was to the site of the anomaly, the more he realizes how his sempais disappeared off the radar and how much trouble they might be in. From his previous adventures, which many consisted of him threatening and cursing his baka oyaji, he recognized the area. Without hesitation, he called Karupin to bring up one of the many maps he made during his exploration of space.

"Karupin, what is the matching possibility?"

"Minimum of ninety percent Master. However, the EM measurements of the area has been altered."

"Probably strengthened to confuse enemy sensors. Any other differences?"

"The signals have jammed communications and cloaking device. Approaching the destination may cut off all systems on the craft."

"Hm…" Ryoma thought out loud. If he flew closer to the point of the anomaly, there is a high chance that it will knock out the AI and mess with all the controls. However, the consequences of inaction may result in severe punishments by the Captain and the Earth Forces. "Karupin, shut down for a while."

"Master Ryoma?" It was not often the AI would question the operator's orders, but Karupin is special.

"I'll need to reconfigure the system, to allow for manual piloting and compartmentalization of the AI. Sorry about that Karupin, I'll fix you back up when everything's finished." Ryoma promised his AI. He knew it would be a pain trying to reconfigure everything on the field, with a strict time limit, but it was something that had to be done to ensure his craft would not black out as he approached his destination.

It took a mere 10 minutes for Ryoma to accomplish what he set out to do. Now, he was flying manually without Karupin's support to a supposedly empty area of space. However, his older map had shown an abandoned colony existing in the area. Switching the view of his monitors, he finally got a glimpse of the colony. It was a massive structure, typical satellite style with the docks at the top, the main system at the core of the colony and complete with solar panels for power generation.

"Cloud Nine." Ryoma muttered softly, trying to remember when it was that he last visited the area. He remembered seeing a country colony, with very few inhabitants. But further investigations had shown the colony was the Alien experimentation ground for biological projects. "I wonder if there is anyone still alive in there." Ryoma input another set of commands and his craft sent out a probe and a pod. The former to scan the colony and take various types measurements, and the latter to signal back to Seigaku his whereabouts.

Ryoma docked at the same place as Kikumaru-sempai and Oishi-sempai, as he recognized the two crafts currently resting just opposite his. He wandered over and noticed neither pilots were inside the cockpit. It was both a relief and distress. Relief that both his sempais were at least alive somewhere, seeing as there were no corpses nearby, but distressed that they might have been taken hostage—or worst as test subjects.

Seeing the emptiness in the docks, Ryoma was tempted to call out for his sempai but he hesitated, wondering if it was such a good idea. Although his initial measurements show that there are no living beings—with the exception of his sempais—on this colony, Ryoma decided not to take the risk.

'My luck in the past few days had hit rock bottom. There's no way I'm going to try and see if shouting would attract attention or not.' Silently and nimbly, he walked to the windows overlooking into the colony. There was nothing out of the ordinary and there were very few signs that his missing sempais were in the area. 'Though, I would have to take into account the efficiency of the cleaning robots.' It is quite a sight to see—an empty colony kept so clean.

Briefly, Ryoma considered the possible course of action. He could head into the main control rooms above him and hack into the systems to check for signs. Or he could wonder down into the colony and use good old fashion leg work to find his sempais. The third option was of course to wait by the docks and hope that they will return within the next few hours, but knowing that it was Kikumaru-sempai who was deemed missing, unless Ryoma felt like sitting in silence for the next few weeks, it would be a very long time before his sempais come back. Ryoma heaved another sigh, it was tempting to hack into the system but what are the chances of the system still being accessible? The EM pulses emitted by the colony had changed so there was a high likelihood of the actual system being reprogrammed and physically inaccessible by outsiders—not that it will hinder Ryoma in the slightest, but it will be very annoying and time consuming. Deciding not to go through the fuss of hacking, Ryoma headed for the nearest elevator down and hope against all hope that it was the correct decision.

He reached the outer edges of the main settlements, noticing the excess amount of weeds by the sidewalk. Though there were tell-tale signs of someone passing by recently. Following the tracks, Ryoma was led to an abandoned house, but he decided not to enter seeing as it was too quiet. Surveying his surroundings, he decided to try the central square. He was pleasantly surprised and felt relieved when he saw the weeds near the control panels leading to the core of the colony had been disturbed. Without hesitation or second thought, he entered in the access code, jumping away just in time to avoid the opening gap. As Ryoma was about to step into the opening, his pockets vibrated, causing him to jump in surprise. It was another mail from Kevin, who seemed to have developed the need to inform Ryoma about every small detail of his life and missions.

_Ryo,_

_Thought you might want to know we're ordered to destroy the Colony in the Clouds. They had wanted all evidences gone asap as they received word of enemy activities in those quadrants. If you can, join us for the occasion. If not, you better come back quickly before I send out the squad to find you!_

_Kev S._

"What?!" Ryoma exclaimed aloud, forgetting the fact that he should stay quiet and incognito in foreign territory. 'Calm down, calm down.' He told himself, chanting the same phrase over and over again in his head. 'It won't be immediately effective, they've got thirteen colonies to wipe out and right now, I'm on the ninth. I still have some time before we're blown into smithereens.'

Ryoma took moment to calm himself, various possibilities running through his head. There were only a few ways one could destroy a colony as big as Cloud Nine; there could a whole fleet waiting outside to shoot it down, they might have planted explosive inside the colony, or they could have set the self implosion setting but that would mean they need to physically land inside the colony to trigger the timer. This gave Ryoma something to work with. He quickly typed a reply back to Kevin, hoping that it will go through.

Ryoma glanced around before heading down the steps and into the darkness. His eyes were well used to dark places so he saw no need to pull out the hand torch he had with him. Walking down the path in near silence, with nothing for company but the whirring of the colony's mechanical parts, his senses kicked into high gear, picking up the smallest movements and sounds. It was ten minutes of walking before Ryoma noticed activity ahead, which he soon took cover to avoid being seen.

Fuji had thought it strange when their opponents remained where they are, as if frozen in place, even when Echizen left the immediate vicinity. He feared it might have been a trap.

"Taka-san, I have a bad feeling about this." Fuji voiced his thoughts to his current partner.

Although Kawamura was loud on the field, he could see the awkwardness of the situation. He too feared for their young rookie, heading into unknown enemy territory. Though Echizen showed skills, they were uncertain as to the amount of field experience. They had all hoped that this would be an easy search and rescue mission, without encountering oppositions. When Seigaku received word from Fuji about another possible location, it was Tezuka's decision to send both himself and Kaidou out. But on the way, Kaidou was waylaid by an unknown craft. Both had thought it was best that Kawamura rushed to the help of Fuji and Echizen, fearing for the worst. Now, Kawamura was not so sure.

"This is your last chance," the synthetic voice broadcasted once more, "surrender to us now."

"At least they are quite polite to repeat their request. Though it is difficult to comply don't you think?" Fuji was not expecting Kawamura to reply, but it did help to keep the atmosphere less tense.

There was another moment of stillness in the area. Fuji and Kawamura was adamant in halting their opponents from chasing after Echizen whilst their opponents seemed to really want to shoot the two from Seigaku down. Then, all of a sudden, the stillness was cut as both parties moved towards one another at the exact same moment. All four pilots flew at neck breaking speed, daring their opponent to pull away. At the last moment, all four pulled upwards then started firing. Fuji was forced to evade as his craft was built more for speed than endurance, with wafer-like wings to enhance balance and control. His AI, Tsubame, was programmed with preference for awareness and unpredictability, giving Fuji the ability to control both his craft's and the overall environment. Kawamura stayed back, having used up his booster to speed up. It was amusing for Kawamura to watch how their opponents were being led on by Fuji, how the small blue and white craft piloted by Seigaku's resident Tensai can evade the hail storm of fire and weave effortlessly through the space. Each movement brought Fuji closer to their opponent. It seems that Fuji was just waiting for the exact moment of weakness to immobilize them.

Just as victory was within their reach, the twin black crafts counter attacked, changing formation and putting more distance. The black crafts weaved in and out, together in synchronization as though dancing in the deep dark vacuum. But it was clear to the Seigaku pilots that the black crafts were preparing for something. Patience was one of Fuji's virtue and in this instance, it was beneficial for him to see what the black crafts were up to. He observed in the stillness, taking in all their moves. But it came as a surprise when one of the craft fired its largest cannon, hidden in view until now. It caught Fuji unprepared, unable to respond or move away. It was fortunate Kawamura acted when he did, crashing his own craft into Fuji's, ensuring the blast only grazed the flimsy craft. Kawamura used the last of his booster, avoiding being hit in the critical areas. The blast hit the right wing, immediately immobilizing the craft, taking out one side of the back booster and disrupting the balance of the craft. Normally, in such conditions, it would be impossible for any craft to move. However, Kawamura, using pure will power, rammed his craft, causing the same amount of damage to the opponent's craft.

"Taka-san!" Fuji shouted the split moment he came to his senses. The sequence of events happened so fast that it took a while for him to take it all in. Fuji quickly radioed back to the Seigaku for assistance, hoping that it would arrive in time. Fuji could care less about their opponents right now.


	19. Outcomes of a Fight

Pursuing Dreams

Disclaimer: Insert usual disclaimer

Author: Phantom Shyraz

Reviews most welcomed!

19: Outcomes of a Fight

As soon as the Seigaku received word from Fuji about a likely location of the disappeared Golden Pair, Tezuka immediately sent out Kawamura and Kaidou as back up. With the combines strength and agility, Seigaku's captain hoped it would be enough to deter possible obstructions. Even so, luck was not on their side as Kaidou was restrained by an unknown black craft. Time after time, Kaidou had tried to escape but the opponent's speed was too fast. The field was not to Kaidou's advantage either as his craft was customized for agility and yet, there were no meteor or floating debris to weave in and out of. In the end, both parties suffered damage, both hulls were dented but still repairable if given time. The unknown craft left Kaidou, with black smoke trailing behind.

At first, Kaidou had sighed in relief but he soon realized this was only a small victory. His own craft was in such a bad shape that was near impossible to chase after his sempai. In the end, it left Kaidou sitting in the pitch darkness of space with nothing but the distant stars to accompany him.

The Seigaku was not far behind the two pilots, but because of its size, even though it was comparably small to the other Earth Force Academy fleets, by the time it reached Kaidou's location, the fight was over.

"Tezuka" Inui called from the control panels in the bridge. Only himself and the Captain remained inside the bridge as Tezuka had sent Momoshiro to train the Freshman. The Captain feared that having the powerhouse pilot inside the bridge may do more harm than good. Besides, Momoshiro had proven himself to be quite a tutor to the freshman. "Kaidou's craft is in sight."

Tezuka pulled out a screen from the side of the armrest of the chair he had been sitting in. With a few commands on the panel, it showed an image of a damaged craft. He pushed another button to connect with Kaidou. A video feed of inside the cockpit, along with the sound feed, appeared on the main monitor at the center of the bridge.

"Captain. Inui-sempai." Kaidou's voice came with slight static. Although the quality of video was poor, the two inside the bridge could make out the extensive damage the cockpit had received. Though not life threatening to Kaidou, because he has a pilot suit on, it was worrying for Tezuka to see one of the Regulars in such form.

"What happened?" Inui replied, concern for the wellbeing of his kohai. He knew Kaidou to be a fierce and non-relenting fighter so for his craft to be in such a bad shape, something must have happened. "Where's Kawamura?"

Kaidou wasted no time and started explaining as the Seigaku came closer to retrieve him. The reason he stayed behind was because they thought it would be easy for Kaidou to outrun their opponent's craft. Even though Kawamura's craft had strength, it did not have the speed.

"It was a wise decision." This was as near to a compliment as one received from the stoic Tezuka, where his words are worth more than gold itself.

Once they ensured Kaidou's craft was safe within the walls of the Seigaku, they sped of once more to their destination, hoping to meet up just in time to rescue their teammates.

Back inside the colony, Ryoma flattened himself more towards the metallic walls. The absence of light made it easier for Ryoma to blend in and use the shadows as hiding places to avoid being seen by the owner of the approaching footsteps. He could faintly hear a deep male voice talking in the distance, getting louder as the footsteps approached.

"Shinji, I need you to head over to sector C. It seems they've run into trouble…I'm heading out to where Akira is. He's intercepted a blue and white craft, so has Ishida and Sakurai. Take care of the issue the report…"

When the dim shadow of the owner of the voice reached the Ryoma's line of sight, he held his breath for although he was confident of his skills, there was still a slight chance of him being detected.

"_Yudan sezu ni ikkou."_ A voice, sounding awfully similar to the Captain, echoed inside Ryoma's head warning him to be more cautious as he progressed. 'Looks like I'll have to wait this one out.' Ryoma thought to himself. He suspected that Seigaku had sent more backup, which was the reason why this person—who seemed to be the leader of the place—headed out. Ryoma also knew for certain that it was Oishi-sempai and Kikumaru-sempai in sector C. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he realized his sempais are not in as much danger as he thought. Then, he realized there is another problem.

'Crap,' Ryoma swore internally before peeking out of his hiding place. 'How will the others, let alone the Seigaku, reach us if the EM field and jamming signals are still in place?' He took a moment to lean against the metallic walls. He could not waste any more time to head up to the control rooms at the top of the colony, not with the impending doom of having all of them blown into smithereens. Kevin has yet to inform him that he received his mail.

'It's a pain that I can't very well reboot Karupin from here to have her take care of this problem.' Ryoma scrolled through the map of colony Cloud Nine on his PDA. Once again, grateful of his previous work experience. 'Wait, I might be able to create a small portion of space that would not be interfered and allow sempai-tachi to come. The escape controls should allow me to do just that.'

To Ryoma's understanding, colonies that have a jamming signal coming out usually has a different signal for the escape area, which is where Ryoma is heading towards. If he could reach the controls there, he could change the signals to emit a message back to the Seigaku to guide them into approaching the colony from the area with a different signal. Though it would mean Ryoma has to be certain to configure the escape signal to bypass all of Seigaku's crafts.

'This is going to be hard work.' Ryoma sighed again. 'I'm not getting paid enough.'

Further down the corridor, Eiji and Oishi was fighting with their assailants. Within tight space, it was illogical to fire any weapons, especially if they were metal. There was a small chance of reflection, causing more harm than good. Yet, the pair worked as coordinated in hand-to-hand combat as they did out in space on their crafts. They were truly the renowned Golden Pair. Their movements were like a dance, Eiji using his acrobatic skills to attract the opponents' attention then Oishi delivering a painful blow. At first, it was a tie as neither pair gained any advantage but as time wore on, it was apparent the Golden Pair had experience on their side to guide them. Though both sides suffered slight injuries, with Oishi wounded at the shoulder and Eiji running out of stamina, the pair knew it was time to bring this to an end. So, Oishi gave a small hand sign to have Eiji execute a certain strategy.

Eiji ran towards their opponents, driving them close to the wall of the corridor, sealing in their movements. He strategically and efficiently placed an elbow to the throat of one of the attackers, temporarily blocking the air supply and causing him to fall unconscious. The other attacker would have reacted if it were not for Oishi blocking the path. Oishi swept his legs underneath, bringing the attacker down to ground level, then delivered a precise blow to the abdomen, bring pain to his attacker and knocking him out.

"Phew." Eiji wiped the sweat from his brow. "Are you alright Oishi?"

"Aa." Oishi nodded, testing his shoulder at the same time. It seems the injury was not that bad, only a few strained tendons. He looked pensively at Eiji who was in the middle of doing stretches. It seems that he too had suffered some injury during the fight. "We really should secure them somehow."

"I know!" There was a strange smile on Eiji's face and Oishi shivered. He realized maybe Eiji had been hanging around Fuji a bit too much. "Let's lock them in a closet."

Seeing as there was no other option, the pair shoved their assailants through the nearest door and hopes they will stay put.


End file.
